Service Knows No Limits

     Hey y'all! So as this was my last time volunteering with Moveable Feast, I thought I would give you a little update on my last service-learning experience. I often wondered if this would be the one that would really open my eyes to Moveable Feast, and little did I know, it actually would be. I know what you all are thinking, "She finally delivered a meal to someone that made her really appreciate what she was doing," but that is not exactly the case. My eye-opening moment did not lie within a recipient of a meal, but upon meeting another volunteer with Moveable Feast.
     The day started out normal. It was a cold, dreary afternoon, a Tuesday at that (bleh), and Mackenzie, Emma, and I had made plans to volunteer with Moveable Feast after class that evening. With such treacherous weather, I pondered to whether I should go another day, but I am so glad that I didn't, because this was the day. This was the day that made the hours, gas money, frustration with the GPS, and time spent away from friends worth it.
     Once we arrived to K-Lot and got into my car, I subconsciously was thankful that it was my last time volunteering, as my experience had not been too great in previous routes (people not answering the door, monsoon weather, etc.). Also, due to having a bad day already, I was on the warpath. Consequently, I was ready to get the day over with.
                                                  How I felt pulling into Moveable Feast:

     We arrived to Moveable Feast and began packing away the meals into the totes when an elderly man, presumably about 75-80 years old, walked in the door. At first, I guessed he was a meal recipient who could drive and preferred to pick up his meal, but then something extraordinary happened. Terry, the director, handed the man not a container of food, but a clipboard containing the names and addresses of recipients. This man was delivering on a route of his own! As the man began lifting the meals into totes and checking his list twice like Santa Claus, I realized that this man wasn't new to Moveable Feast. I then asked Terry if this man was a new volunteer, and it turns out that this man had been coming and delivering meals once a week for years. As I was raised that once a person reaches a certain age, they are to rest at home all of the time and be taken care of, the sight of this man being so able-bodied and compassionate left me flabbergasted. I thought, "How awesome is that, an elderly man taking the time and energy out of his day to serve others!" His passion for service was like a glimmering effervescence and it was severely contagious.
     While watching the man pack his route's worth of meals into his vehicle, something inside me fluttered. It was as if a flame that had been flickering for quite some time was ignited. I thought, "If I give off a negative vibe while delivering these meals, how is that going to make these already vulnerable meal recipients feel?" Immediately, my whole perspective of my service-learning experience changed. With excitement instead of dread, I packed up my meals for the route and began my journey.
                                              How I felt pulling out of Moveable Feast:

   
     If all volunteers went into their service time as passionate as the elderly man I met at Moveable Feast and as *excited* as Jessie Spano, the true meaning of service would be exemplified. At my last experience with Moveable Feast, I learned the true meaning of service: unconditional love for others despite limitations. Service knows no limits.

Until next time,
XOXO Gossip Girl
(Just kidding, it's Shelley)