Personal Narrative: A Day At The South Texas Food Bank

Thesis Statement: The Houston Food Bank uses the efforts of volunteers as well as donations to support the reduction of hunger in the community.

When resources are limited, children struggle to stay in school and tend to fall behind. According to a census of the area in which Harvesters provides food to, “20 percent of children under age 18 in our region… is food insecure,” and of that twenty percent, “38 percent of the food insecure children live in households that do not qualify for federal nutrition programs” (“Harvesters”). My heart breaks every time I hear there are children starving in the world, but it is even more heartbreaking to know there are children in my hometown that are struggling to live off of the very little food they are provided. This is why I love this program because nothing is more fulfilling than seeing the eyes of a child light up when they see all that they get to take home with

On Tuesday evening, over fifty of our leaders from Auto, Innovation, and Recovery came to fight hunger and feed hope at the San Antonio Food Bank. Collectively they sorted through 20,330 pounds of food which resulted in 16,264 meals for the city of San Antonio and it's surrounding counties. It was an evening of camaraderie and fun that will never be forgotten.

Providing legal services to underserved communities can be both challenging and rewarding. I anticipate such a career after graduating from law school. My upbringing and experiences influence my desire to serve rural areas with limited access to legal services.

The Plain City food pantry collects donations from people and/or stores like Wal-mart, Wendy’s etc. They also have a small thrift store that they run based off only donations. Their mission is to contribute to the small community of Plain City by providing food, toiletries, clothes etc. They want to feed people who struggle and can’t afford to put food on the table or clothes on their back. The specific area they provide for is the locals in Plain City. The schools in Plain City will have food drives and all the donations would go to straight to the pantry.

In Bryan Stevenson’s book, Just Mercy, he addresses the hardships faced by African Americans in society and in the legal justice system. Through the author’s efforts to accomplish changes in our legal system, he utilizes three different group values including: common purpose, collaboration, and controversy with civility. All three of these groups values are interconnected and different in their own way and are essential in accomplishing social change. Collaboration, common purpose, and collaboration are all important for a groups working together to achieve a common goal. The common purpose is the group’s shared vision and accurately sets out the values that the group hopes to possess.

During the time I spent volunteering at John C. Lincoln’s Food Bank, I was able to provide food, individual hygiene items, and infant supplies to families struggling to obtain these critical items for their families. When I first arrived at the food bank, I spent time constructing care packages with soap, toothbrushes, personal wipes, and other essential items for health care. Later in the day, I had the unique opportunity to assist with the simulated grocery store within the food bank. The structure of the store allowed individuals receiving food to feel as though they were actively participating instead of passively accepting food and feeling helpless. Overall, I was able to instill a sense of self-efficiency in individuals who were struggling to provide for their families while personally interacting and sharing my time in a meaningful way.

I am feeling the need to clarify something with you in regards to the elected officials’ database and the timing of it being completed. You asking the question raised a red flag for me and it has not been sitting well with me all day.

My background highlights my commitment to ICLC’s mission and values. Prior to law school, I spent over six months advocating for proper foster care funding for caregivers at the Alliance for Children’s Rights. It was there that I learned that many people who need help from our government often fall through the cracks because of bureaucratic or political policies. I then spent law school learning about public interest law through a Civil Rights Litigation Seminar, a research position focused on reproductive rights for women of color, and a domestic violence agency internship. I learned civil rights litigation strategies from Brown v. Board of Education through my seminar, and disability rights strategies at the Disability Rights Legal Center. I also learned trauma informed direct client skills at my domestic violence internship. After law school, I secured a one-year post graduate fellowship from Loyola Law School to provide free legal services to a domestic violence program at the YWCA of Glendale. I strategized with the staff attorney and case managers to find the best legal resources for each client. I offered immigration representation, in addition to preparing family law forms, and coached clients to represent themselves in family law

Looking forward, I hope to bring my understanding of and appreciation for complexities to Washington University School of Law. My diverse identity and experiences have taught me to approach people and situations with nuance. I grew up between a large Hispanic family and a predominantly white, well-educated community. I have grown up between the culture of the progressive and diverse D.C. and the conservative and homogenous Midwest. While challenging, living between distinct groups has showed me that life is more in the middle than anything, and the truth usually lies there as well.

Life experience coupled with professional experience has enriched the level of cultural competency that I function at daily. Starting my first career in the legal arena, almost twenty years ago, I carried more bias toward certain groups, often thinking in black and white rather than a rich rainbow of grays. Being empathetic to individuals that committed crimes against society and others was rarely accepted in my naïve viewpoint. After my first year of working with criminal clients, I began to understand that one simple act cannot define or give explanation to the beauty of multiple stories that fill the chapters in an individual’s life. I learned that I could not fully understand what led to the story that was playing out before me without

During this semester's service learning project, I chose to serve at a community organization called Church On Wheels, Breaking Bread Soup Kitchen. Every night Monday through Friday Breaking Bread opens its doors to the community and provides a meal at no cost. Their mission statement is simple: To carry the gospel of the Lord through feeding the hungry and helping those in need. With this Christ-like love to His people, every night employees and volunteers come together to provide a meal that does not only feed them physically but nourishes the soul of everyone that enters the doors. Within the city of Midland, Texas you will find a diverse culture and community. Due to the recent oil boom, many families found themselves struggling to put a meal on the table. Breaking Bread saw the need in the community to open the doors every night to see that no one would go hungry in our town. With a commitment to see that the poor and needy are served with the love of Christ. On any given night you can expect to find

On August 4, 2015, Vivian Cu and I chose to volunteer at the Second Harvest Food Bank located on 700 Edwards Ave. in New Orleans. Our Tuesday morning of service started at 9AM and ended around 11:30AM. In preparation for my first time at Second Harvest, I wore comfortable clothes that were easy to move around in and that were possible to get dirty in. The man in charge of all volunteer services, Vince, quickly gave me my duty for the day. There is a huge case of canned goods and my job was to put as many canned goods as possible on a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt would carry these cans to many aisles where other volunteers would put them into smaller boxes that had to weigh from fifteen to thirty pounds. After packaging these boxes, Second

Have you ever wondered where you would rest your head at night? Where you would find your next meal? How would support your family given unforeseen sudden circumstances? I’ve never thought about the importance of these questions until a recent experience I had volunteering at a food pantry. There are organizations whose main purpose is to help those in need and provide resources to members of the community who are going through difficult times. A food pantry is a non-profit community serviced organization that provides members of the community with groceries and resources. From volunteering at this food pantry I learned more than ever to never “judge a book, by its cover”, or in other words, even though I person may look well put together on the outside, you never know what it is they are dealing with on the inside. I’ve encountered homeless members of the community, people who have suffered from physical abuse, and people who have experienced unexpected disasters such as house fires to expected job layoffs while volunteering at a food pantry. I’ve also come to appreciate everything that I have in my life from the roof over my head to the food in my stomach and that some people are less fortunate than me.

In a law firm, each attorney and paralegal, must first have a belief in equal treatment for all people regardless of their circumstances. In turn, at some point, we began working at this firm because we had a passion toward assisting in the implementation of the just application of the law. Likewise, we each became motivated to act toward affecting change in equitable treatment of all people. What I find important in our business is assisting those who are normally marginalized in our society and unable to obtain the legal help they need. I value altruism; the self-service or unselfishness that is within each of us. It combines the three elements briefly mentioned: Belief, passion, and motivation.