Street Feeding Reflective Essay

Personal Reflection

I found that street feeding was a very meaningful event and I enjoyed it very much. I have joined a volunteering activity in the past but it was completely a different feeling this time.

This project taught me not to judge a book by its cover. I used to have bad perception of the homeless. I thought they are anti-social, unlettered and live an aimless life. However, this project proved my judgements wrong. In fact, they were actually friendly and easy to approach than I expected. Some of them have jobs and some have family. For example, some do recycling to earn money while some work as waiters in the nearby restaurants. I felt disappointed to find out some of them were actually abandoned by family. Therefore, this reminds me not to be quick to judge people because we do not know what is going on in another person’s life.

Besides, this project gave me the opportunity to learn more about the society and the things happening around us. It made me to be more aware of the social problems like the hunger issue in our country. From this project, I get to understand the challenges faced by the homeless. For example, a homeless friend told me he is unemployed not because of his laziness, but because the employers like to hire cheap foreign workers. I realized that I could also learn something from real world issues other than learning through lectures. This would make me a more proactive person that will take more initiative in future.

From this project, I also learned to appreciate more with what I have. Through these heart-to-heart conversations with homeless friends, it gives me a deeper appreciation for what I have. Besides, it also makes me realize I should not take things for granted. In this case, I should be grateful that I am able to live with my family in a comfortable house while homeless friends who struggle outside need a home so badly. Thus, this project taught me to be grateful and stop wanting more.

In short, I am grateful that I had benefited a lot from this project. I will definitely join more volunteering activities and I would encourage more people to do the same especially the youngsters. “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”, I believe that the small effort from everyone would make a difference and make the world a better place.