Bowls of Hope- Margaret Beallis

MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2012

Bowls of Hope- Margaret Beallis

Bowls of Hope-Margaret Beallis

BOWLS OF HOPE

I volunteered at a function called Bowls of Hope on February 21st 2012. Bowls of Hope is a function organized by Hope-coalition against domestic violence.  Hope is a non-profit organization that provides free, confidential services for those in need due to domestic violence. Hope also provides individual counseling, children's programs, emergency shelter, transitional housing, emergency transportation, prevention education in the community, and referrals. The event, Bowls of Hope was a function put together by volunteers in order to raise money for the Hope foundation in order to help victims and family members of domestic violence. Bowls of Hope raised money by hosting a soup dinner, raffling off baked goods, had a local band come and play, and the public could buy unique homemade bowls. Each person walked in, and purchased a ticket for $5 which allowed them a bowl of soup(which was donated by local restaurants in Charleston), bread, a drink, salad, vegetables, etc. 

While volunteering, I help set up the room which was located at a local church in Charleston, IL. I decorated the walls by hanging up tee shirts that people had made about domestic violence. I also set up tables for the guests with table cloths, place mats, and table settings which had various facts and statistics about domestic violence. After the room was set up, I then helped to prepare all of the food for the guests. After everything was set up and prepared I spent the remainder of my time serving soup to guests. When the event was done I helped clean up. 

This volunteer opportunity reflected concepts learned in several of my classes in FCS. I learned a lot about domestic violence and heard several people share their personal stories about domestic violence. Disadvantaged Families stresses the idea to "assume diversity" which I found to be really relevant in this experience because, I found myself surprised to see what domestic violence victims look like, they seemed so strong and confident so I was a little taken aback that they had been involved in domestic violence. Another reason assuming diversity was important was because during this event, you did not know who was involved in a domestic violent situation or who was there just to support the cause, so it was very important to just assume diversity. In Disadvantaged Families we also learned about domestic violence and have had many discussions about in various other FCS classes so I was aware of some of the statistics and knew some background information on the topic which helped me to emphatic, and not so ignorant about victims of domestic violence. 

I think the networking experience I gained from volunteering at Bowls of Hope was that I saw professors who are really passionate about helping others. A professor from another college was in charge of hosting and putting together Bowls of Hope, and she was really passionate about Bowls of Hope and inspiring to me. From meeting her, and working with her I realized how important it is to volunteer and to be passionate about something. I really enjoyed working with her and meeting people all had the similar interest in just helping out for a good cause.

The potential effect this service organization has on a community is that it brings people together in a community. This organization  brings the community together as a whole to bring domestic violence some awareness.  I think anytime the community comes together, only good can come of it. The turn out for Bowls of Hope was a success. The person in charge said the turn out was the best it has ever been since they started this function. I also think that since this function brought awareness to domestic violence, it will also be able to prevent domestic violence. Pamphlets, fliers, information booths, etc provided endless information about domestic violence, and how to get out of it, where to go, how to protect your family for it, etc. so I think Bowls of Hope can inspire people in a community to see the importance of domestic violence, become aware of signs of domestic violence, and know how to help, and prevent it from happening in the future. Overall, I just think when a community supports an organization it helps the community become stronger.

I honestly had a lot of fun volunteering at Bowls of Hope. Before volunteering I thought it was going to be really depressing and that I would have to see severely injured/ battered people, but in fact everyone was laughing, joking around and just there to have a good time. The professor who organized Bowls of Hope made this a fun experience. She was really funny and I really enjoyed volunteering here, and I enjoyed helping out for a good cause. I honestly think I will volunteer at Bowls of Hope or something similar again. I am so glad I got to do this, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone. Being able to help an organization, provide information about something, and bring awareness to a problem while having fun at the same time is awesome. It was a blast! 


-Margaret Beallis 

Amanda Gelsinger

I volunteered at the Mattoon Area Public Action to Deliver Shelter or PADS. When you volunteer you either work the kitchen or at the desk. The first time I went there I worked the desk with another volunteer, named Gene. He has been volunteering for years and does it every Wednesday night. When you first get there you sign in and call the volunteers that are working the following night to remind them of their shift.  Then Gene gave me a brief description of what we would be doing. At 7 o’clock they opened they doors and the kitchen started serving the meal. When the guests first arrive they put their PADS ID card in the box for either dinner only or overnight. You write down there name, ID number, their race and gender, and check the box for either dinner or overnight. Then for the rest of the night you just monitor the guests and make sure nothing bad happens. Most of the people who came in to the shelter were men; there was one woman and one child. In class we talked about different shelters they have and how some only accept women or just men. But this shelter accepted both. Having a shelter likes this provides people a place to sleep at night and food to eat. It tries to help them off the street, but some of them do end up staying for a while and some even end up coming back. They are only allowed to stay for three months and then they cannot return for six months. PADS provides a place to shower and even gives clothes when they have them to the guests. By doing offering these things they could be helping them get a job somewhere. I enjoyed volunteering at PADS. The guests were really friendly and I did not experience any problems. I feel fortunate because I have a home and family that will help me if I ever get to the point where I cannot afford to live on my own. Some of the people there had no family to help them or their family is unable to help them.

coalition for people in need- Danielle Mader

I volunteered at the Coalition for People in Need in Charleston.  The CPN is a place where individuals in need can come for assistance in an emergency.  The Coalition provides services like giving vouchers for food and the remaining fifty dollars of rent.  There are stipulations for receiving this assistance and it has to be an emergency situation.   The Coalition also has a small pantry of everyday items like shampoo, diapers and laundry detergent.   The individual seeking services is welcomed to take 2 or 3 these just to help them get through for a little while.

The Coalition for People in Need directly correlates to class.  The individual’s seeking assistance are typically people who are living in poverty.  The difficulty of pulling oneself out of poverty was very apparent at the Coalition.  A lot of these individual’s would have missed rent and the money would be piling up.  Once they find a way to get enough money for rent it cannot be spent on rent that is due during the current month because they have to use to pay their debt, meanwhile the debt is continuing to pile because they couldn’t pay the current month’s rent.  It is very difficult to be able to find assistance for dire situations like this.  The coalition cannot even assist with rent when the individual has back payments. 

When I interacted with the other volunteers it allowed me to network and get my name out to people who are affiliated with human service organizations.  I gained insight from the other volunteers about what to expect from work in the human services field and some of the difficulties that they have accounted in their professional careers and through their volunteer experiences. 

The affect that the Coalition for People in Need has on the community is quite positive.  The Coalition may not reach everyone who is in need in the community,  but it has a good effect on those it serves.  The CPN helps the community by providing assistance to people who are in urgent need of assistance just to make it through the next couple days.  I have no doubt that the Coalition has helped individual’s avoid homelessness. 

I enjoyed my time volunteering at the Coalition.  It made me happy to be able to give assistance to people when they are in a really scary place.  Not having enough money is terrifying, and when it involves children it is even more terrifying.  Working here just reiterated the point that you never know who is in need, need is not always visible.  People struggle with finances for a variety of reasons, most of which are out of their control.  Some people may never need assistance, some might have a crisis once in their life when they have to get help, and for others this might be a regular routine.  Never judge someone who you don’t know.