Nashville, Tennessee, the home to famous country music singers, successful sports teams, and historical attractions. So many wonderful things that draw people to the Music City. But, the perception of success and wealth in Nashville is not understood by everyone. There are people who are less fortunate. These people are wonderful and amazing, with some of the best stories to tell. Yet, stereotypes of these people can be harsh. Today was my first time on the streets of Nashville actually helping out with the homeless. It was a very good learning experience that everyone needs to experience in their lifetime.
This was the first event that I had ever been to, and I was a little nervous because at the age of 14, I had never done anything with the homeless. When we arrived, a few people had begun to line up and others were on the way. We quickly began to unload the cars with our donations and see what we could do to help. We had a packing event prior to the event where we packed all of our items we collected. With all of these packed items, we set up our area and began to pass out our bags to people who needed them. It was heartwarming to see our work help make the lives of the people better.
When the line began to taper off, we passed out the rest of our bags to the people in line and eating at the food table provided by a local church. Our friends from the streets were very thankful for the bags. We had great conversation with some people and it was very exciting to see that they liked the same football teams that I did or they liked the same kind of foods. It was also very interesting to learn about where all of our friends had come from. Some were from Michigan and some were native Tennesseans.
Finally, I got down to do some dirty work and cleaned out the showers after people used them with ShowerUp, who was also hosting an event that day. As the event got ready to wrap up, I was elected to be the “mechanical guy” and take the hoses out of the fire extinguishers that provided the water for the showers. I was a little confused about which way to turn the nozzle to turn off the hose in the beginning, but after being reminded “lefty-loosey, righty-tighty” it was quick to come off!
Overall, the whole experience was very positive
and heartwarming to me. It made me very thankful for what I had, and it reminded me to remain humble and be happy in even the worst of moments. Eventually, everything will work out. Sometimes, there will be a bump in the road, but with hard work, you can do anything you put your mind to. I challenge all of you who haven’t done something like this to go out there and try it. It will be something that you will always remember!
-Sam
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