| OPINION
| SEPTEMBER 16, 2005
A Lot to Give
A donation in time is an investment
in experience
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| The Shorthorn: Brandon Leirer |
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After the devastating events of Hurricane
Katrina, much aid is needed for the ravaged cities and displaced
citizens of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Unlike more recent natural disasters, this one happened in our country
and to our people. We have been to the places that are affected
by this disaster. The victims are Americans, people that some of
us may know. The images we see are not of a Third World country
and haggard refugees but of our country and our people.
Being located in North Texas, we at UTA are in a position to do
much good for our fellow Americans. Many of the displaced are finding
a temporary (or not so temporary) home here in Arlington and at
UTA. Some of these people are well off and can sustain themselves
for the time being, while others have turned to local aid groups
that have been here for just such an incident.
The Salvation Army neighboring the UTA campus has opened itself
up for families who need refuge during this crisis. If one were
to provide aid not through donations but by volunteering and working
directly with those affected by the disaster, this is one of the
best places for anyone in the UTA community to do so.
I decided to give this a shot and do my part to provide some aid
to others and see the results of my volunteer work. Hopefully, by
reading about my experiences, others will have a better idea about
what volunteering at the Salvation Army Family Life Center on Abram
Street is like and would be more apt to donate their time as well.
I have visited the Salvation Army on two occasions during the past
week, each time working two to three hours. Volunteers are needed
at all times of the day, but they are most needed around meal times.
The Salvation Army has specific sign-up times, but walk-in volunteers
like myself can essentially work any amount of time they choose.
Of course, by using my haphazard method of volunteering you do not
exactly get first choice of duties.
Some of the duties volunteers perform include information collecting,
cleaning, visiting with evacuees, assisting with donations and cafeteria
duties.
My first day, I got the glamorous job of washing dishes during dinner.
It was not as bad as it could have been, since I only had to wash
the pots and pans (paper plates and plastic ware were being used
that evening). It was a nice steady stream of rinsing, soaking and
drying of the seemingly endless parade of pans used to make corn
and mashed potatoes.
I also learned how to use an industrial dishwasher that can clean
cookware in about 60 seconds, which I think is pretty neat. There
was an open window from the dining room into the dish washing room
in which many people took the time to thank me and the others who
had cafeteria duty, which I appreciated greatly.
The next day I worked with donations. The first duty was to load
as much stuff as we could into the back of a trailer outside. I
was told that anything which could not be loaded onto the trailer
would disappear overnight. There was a good number of Arlington
police officers on duty at the shelter, and when I asked why, I
was usually told “just in case.” The items left out
of the trailer were things like portraits and cases full of CDs.
They were donations from people with good intentions, but we weren’t
sure what to do with them.
I then worked inside the grocery portion of donations inside. These
are food donations meant for people who have accommodations elsewhere.
It’s set up like a small grocery store, and we had to keep
it organized to make things easier for everyone. Several types of
food were kept there, including one can with Asian characters written
on it with a picture of a whale on the label. I can only imagine
what was in that one.
The Salvation Army Family Life Center still needs volunteers to
help with the influx of people affected by Katrina. It does not
take much to work there, and you get to see the results of your
hard work firsthand. If you have a few hours between classes or
if you live on campus, go donate your time to some people who could
really use your help. What have you got to lose?
— Josh Morris is a marketing sophomore and The Shorthorn staff
columnist
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