WHEAT 8/22

Yesterday I went to a serve dinner at WHEAT with a few others. We were making eggplant Parmesan and after gathering the eggplants from the garden in the rain, and going to Hannaford's for the rest of the food, we ended up getting a pretty late start on cooking. We had about 45 minutes to make food for 60 people.
Throughout the whole process I never saw one person lose focus or start to give up. We worked extremely efficiently and in the end we got food out to everyone exactly on time. I've worked at WHEAT many times and every time I go I have a completely different experience. All the random acts and events serve as a reminder to me constantly of why we all do what we do together. At WHEAT, we were able to make a very real change not only in the days or the weeks of the people we served, but our efforts may create ripple effects that last throughout their entire lives. We have within us all the power to give people their dignity and give them our time to help them, not because we have to, but because we want to.
Carly Dillis

A Second Generation NOLA'an

Being part of the NOLA service learning group has been a goal of mine for a few years now. This inspiration is all due to my older brother, Jared, who had been part of this program. To me, NOLA had always been an exclusive team of the best of the best, something I could only dream of being part of. I had always looked upon the members of the group as if they were gods, even the ones I did not know. However,  as I became involved in the service learning program last year, I began to realise that this is not what the group is about. Community service is not a spectacular achievement that requires praise, however it is a duty we have as citizens.  We do not do what we do to impress others, or to make ourselves look better, but we do what we do because we like to do it. While I have never been on the NOLA trip itself, I am certain of one thing. That thing is that I will not be the same person after the trip. As Mr. Kane often says, we do not help people, however we work with people to accomplish a common goal. From both my own experience and the experience of my brother, i know that service learning really allows you to discover a lot about people, and who people really are. It allows you to discover who you are as a person, in a way that cannot be taught through a book. It allows you to experience life by living it. It is an experience unlike any other that our school has to offer.  My brother Jared had always been annoying and weird my whole life.  He was well liked by most of his peers, however had never really fit in in a certain group or sport. He found the service learning group when he reached highschool, and he still didnt really fit in, but he was accepted into the group. This group is not full of certain people, in fact, it is very diverse. We are only connected through our common bond of wanting to give back. Jared grew from this group, and from the lessons it taught. As the years passed, this group matured jared (as much as anything could) and got him to a point where he made the decision to join the United States Marine Corps. Had it not been for NOLA, i dont know where jared would be. I dont know where i would be. This group, without me even being a part of it, has affected my life quite significantly.  This group builds our school, our community, and (dramatically) our world into a better place, and we help to make a difference in our future by what we learn today. I think I have talked a little too much.
~Kevin Lundstrom, second generation NOLA'an

From Our Garden to the Kitchen

Yesterday, before leaving for Our Father's House shelter to make our monthly meal, seven of us spent some time in our community garden. We picked things like eggplant, a variety of lettuces, kale, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Helpers from our organization, other students, and even a number of members from our towns had worked tirelessly to help our garden flourish with organic goods. Standing in the vibrant courtyard, it was hard to believe how many seedlings we had spent hours upon hours caring for that now thrived with life. Having the ability to harvest what we needed from the garden was tangible proof of our efforts. With pounds of goods in hand, we left for the shelter. After stopping at the store for a few staples needed for our dish, we made some beautiful garden salad, eggplant parm, chicken parm, and some spaghetti. We made enough to serve forty or so. Attending Our Father's has become one of my favorite ways to help out around the community in my past year or so spent in the service program. The staff there has always been extremely welcoming and appreciative of our assistance. Same goes for the residents we serve. The dining area is always full of compliments and thank yous. Although, nothing about being there really feels like service. It's a blast just to be able to make a huge meal with friends as we get to reap the rewards of watching others enjoy the food. This trip was especially great because of the huge role our very own garden played in helping to constitute the meal. Which, without hesitating to brag, looked and tasted pretty delicious.

Molly Cassidy