Alli Murphy Project Link

1     (1) I volunteered my time at Catholic Charities in Effingham.

2     (2) This experience reflected many concepts we have learned in most of my FCS classes. At Catholic Charities, there were many diverse people whether they be cultural, class, or age.  As going in with an open mind, it seemed as if while I was in the store, people were giving me the judgmental looks instead of the other way around. With the different families that came in, it truly showed how no matter what part of the spectrum you were one, you were not the only one who was struggling. We may not all be the same race, age, culture or sex but in some situations we may be going through the same things. There was a mother and daughter who was looking through clothes and the daughter was getting irritable and complaining that she was hungry. The mom explained to the daughter that she needed to take care of her and the rest of the family and she was going to have to wait it out till they found clothes for her other siblings. This is the trickle effect of how the family needs to provide for each other and still be able to focus on other aspects of life as well.

        (3) As I was working with the people at Catholic Charities, it made me feel like it was more than just a job to them. They were doing this because they were helping people who really needed it. In the beginning of my volunteering I was one on one with a lady. We were in the back putting winter clothes in storage. It was unbelievable to see how much they had in storage and how many summer clothes that were not even out on the shelves yet. I then helped other women sort through other items to see what was good enough to be put on the shelves or what needed to be tossed. It was amazing what people had brought that they thought that could be resold. The activity I did by myself for the majority of the time was going through underwear, bras and slips. I had to go through what was able to be sold and throw away what was soiled or stained. This gave me the opportunity to truly be thankful for what I have and also to observe the people throughout the store and how they shopped for their items.

I believe the most I gained from this experience was how blessed I am to be able to afford all these things that others had to pay little cost for. It truly is the little things in life that we shouldn’t take for granted and I saw today that that is exactly what these people needed. It was great to see so many volunteers there of all ages to help distribute all of these donated items and enjoyed being there. They loved having more help and were willing to teach me all the little tricks that made the day go by quickly.  

(4) Catholic Charities is a great resource for the both the Effingham and Teutopolis communities. It is in the middle of both towns which is centrally located. With the help of Catholic Charities, there is also a building with many resources for other disadvantages families may be having. This organization is very helpful for any family having trouble and there is no judgment once you walk into the front door.

5       (5) When I had to volunteer, it was difficult to decide where I wanted to put my time. I knew that my time would be appreciated and worthwhile wherever I went. I truly didn’t know what to expect when I first went in but I knew that I was going in with an open minded. My first reaction was “Holy cow, they have everything you need here”.  I was very shocked on what I saw when I was looking around. As I was going through all the undergarments, this is when things really hit me because I honestly couldn’t imagine re-using a pair of underwear. I felt extremely blessed for what I have and hate that things have to come down to that for some people. If that is one thing I could change I would buy all the underwear in the world so people wouldn’t have to re-use those. Overall, I am glad I decided to go to Catholic Charities to re-emphasis how much I could change a person’s day without changing the whole world because it all starts with a single act that trickles too many more.