Student Contributor -S. Rainey
The mission statement of Blessings Under the Bridge is this: “Through God and unconditional hope, we endeavor to reach, bless, and offer love to the homeless and less fortunate by restoring purpose and dignity to the hearts of the homeless in our community and the community around the world.” The purpose of this is to plant the seed that God loves these people. Since our Heavenly Father has shown grace and love to us, we are able to extend the hand of love to others who need it too. Every single Wednesday during the year, rain or shine, this organization provides a (usually hot) meal to their friends.
Every single Wednesday throughout the year (rain or shine), Blessings Under the Bridge meets under the bridge on 4th and McClellan in Spokane. The begin the night by setting up all the tables and chairs. An assembly line is prepared in an order of tables: plastic bags (to carry their things), groceries, treats, hot meals, coffee, clothing and toiletries, and blankets. Each Wednesday, 45-50 volunteers are needed to aid in the set-up, distribution, and tear-down of these tables, chairs, and items. When I volunteered, one of the other volunteers told me that she really enjoys volunteering because of the conversations she makes with the people that come through. In the fall of 2007, one woman began handing out 40 brown, plastic bags with a meal under the bridge. Roughly 10 years later, over 100,000 people were served in Spokane. When the woman started the organization, she was on the verge of getting a divorce. Once she and her husband began serving the homeless together, “the couple realized how much they truly had, especially each other”. When I volunteered, it was a very humbling experience. I left the scene in tears: filled with gratitude for my life, as well as a longing to keep helping these people. If this touched my heart, it will most certainly touch the hearts of our students.
Teachers and students could partner with Blessings Under the Bridge. The first idea of mine is to engage the students with what homelessness is, as well as explore the meaning of homelessness. Tania Lopez or (one of the other regular volunteers) could come into the classroom and explain what they do, who they work with, and what they see each Wednesday. Hopefully the students would begin to see the impact that this organization has. The organization provides the opportunity to borrow a large bin to collect donations. The students could donate items of theirs to Blessings Under the Bridge. This would take some coordination with the clothing leader, Renee. (There are other options to donate, such as groceries, coffee, drinks, and toiletries.) Then, connecting with Tonia about when our class can volunteer. Prior to the event, the students would get to vote on which table they are most interested at volunteering at. Students would not only be impacting the community around them in Spokane, but their own perceptions of reality would be impacted.
Standards:
D4.6.K-2. “Identify and explain a range of local, regional, and global problems, and some ways in which people are trying to address those problems.”
D4.7.K-2. “Identify ways to take action to help address local, regional, and global problems.”
