Hosea Feed The Hungry & JA at John Hope Elementary School

Yesterday morning it was pouring outside but we were all ready to embark on the community service activities that we came to do in ATL. We entered Hosea Feed The Hungry Warehouse and it was HUGEEEEE!!!! BIGGER than what I had anticipated! We got right down to business and sorted cans from this enormous cardboard box which contained more than 2,000 cans of different items. As we dug through the piles of cans we had to classify each can and place it into the appropriate category (greens, fruits, soups, beans, dried goods, corn, carrots, tomato products, misc, etc). I can't believe we had cleared that entire box in less than 3 hours. It will surely be a memorable experience which required both teamwork, cooperation, and organizational skills.

Today, we went to John Hope Elementary school to do a junior achievement (JA) program with kindergartners. First, we met Ms. Brown, the director of the JA program at the school. She is such a warm, welcoming, and optimistic individual. She gave us an overview of the school and program. At the end of the program, I really liked how she asked us to personally identify and evaluate the strengths and flaws of the JA program on a whole.

I was very excited and thrilled to be at the school since my community service site is at Hedgepeth Williams (Elementary/Middle School) and I love kids! I was partnered with Ashley to conduct the program in Ms. Townsend's class. She is a wonderful woman full of enthusiasm. The stories we read and the activities we did were very educational and the kids enjoyed themselves. They were taught lessons about farm animals, planting a community garden, money, purchasing and saving. The resources in the JA program were so organized and interesting. The children loved the worksheets and props for each story we read. They even got awards at the end of the day for participating in the program and for being such great boys and girls. The kindergartners were so adorable! They even gave Ashley and I certificates for coming to their school and signed their names on it. I had a great time working with them and really hope to continue doing JA with other schools and students in the future.

The first thing that had caught my eye when I entered the school was the numerous murals painted on every wall and the quotes in the bathrooms. It was an enlightening experience. Overall, this trip has been wonderful and the community service we have provided here are unforgettable. Again, I want to thank Pat for giving me the chance to come down to ATL as well as Dana and G for organizing this trip full of activities and community service.

~Sabrina