HOME

I spent my service trip at HOME, which consists of many physical parts, like a saw and shingle mill, food pantry, garden/greenhouse, stained glass and jewelry buildings, and the learning center. All of these parts are present to assist people in making the transition from homelessness to successful independence. During my time at HOME, I mowed lawns, set down garden beds, weeded, planted broccoli plants, sorted metal, worked in the daycare, organized a closet, swept saw dust, and sorted lumber. What struck me the most about HOME is the uniqueness of the culture and community present. At HOME, there’s no division between those employed by HOME, those volunteering for HOME, and those whom HOME is “serving”. As a volunteer, I did not feel excluded or different from those who have been a part of HOME for a while. Another aspect that I liked about the organization was that I got to meet not only individuals, but families. On our first day at HOME, a couple of us briefly worked with a man named Jason and helped him move wood and sort metal. Then, we went to lunch at the main building where his wife Destinee is the main cook. The next day when I went to the daycare, I played with Emma, their four year old daughter. Through these interactions, I understood each of these 3 individuals better because I got to work with the people they care about and who make up their family. When first arriving at HOME, I had trouble really understanding how my work was benefiting people. For example, on the first day I spent a great majority of the morning mowing lawns. I didn’t understand how I was helping someone by mowing a lawn whose grass would be grown back by the time we were leaving; I felt that I needed to leave a more permanent mark. It wasn’t until our final day when I realized that our work was in fact benefiting others. Though a few of the things we did may have initially seemed trivial and unimportant to me, they certainly seemed important to those whom they benefited. By the time we were leaving, people were thanking us for our help with gardening, saw sweeping, and organizing and I realized that our service group really did make a difference. 

Grace