Another rejection from the other side.. This is about the 15th hostel place I have contacted for the inquiring of seeking a volunteer opportunity for Thanksgiving this year.
Please note: if you are here to listen to the audio of the Meditation For Developing Patience, Forgiveness, and Compassion, please scroll to the bottom of the post. Thank you.
“..thank you. But we have reached full capacity on our volunteering position this year.” That’s the typical response I would get from the coordinator after I had left my voice messages or wrote paragraphs of the email to persuade them letting me into the event. LA Mission, Pasadena’s Dinner At The Park and some prominent local churches in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Murrieta. They all either redirected me to sign up for a waitlist or kindly and briefly rejected my offer.
I was a little dishearted when I found out that my plan to personally involve in public give away events were all been precluded. But at the same time, a sense of fluke alleviated my self-pity: maybe the people in need have all been served by the dominant organizations and scads of generous volunteers.
Opened up my laptop, I searched keyword Thanksgiving, volunteer in Los Angeles. Quickly, some big newspaper sources showed that there’s L.A. Mission Serves Thanksgiving Meals on Skid Row is happening in a couple of hours ago. Followed by the large headline news was the ‘glorious’ interview of the chief, the reporter and some panoramic view of the event.
Why there ain’t any interview of the people who have received the service to talk about their feelings and thoughts?
Looking at the piles of the food and cloth my friend and I have packaged. I said no. We are not gonna just send them to the destinations which those event coordinators told us to do. We are going there ourselves.
Slipped the last gift into each parcel, a meditation letter I have printed out which made up a total of 9 even portions. We set off our journey in this rainy Thanksgiving day.
When we got to the LA downtown, it was already past sunset. The roads we passed are dimed with yellow street lights. Drizzles of rain varnished the tents on both sides of the street left torpor of vestiges diffused every corner of the milieu.
We drove and passed by slowly and contrived to not making any salient moves from our tentative observations. Soon we detected some loners in the less condensed tent area. My friend pulled over, I got out of the car with two big gift bags and approached the first man in the corner ahead of me.
She’s a Chinese lady. Her counternance became less a mystery to me when I had got close. I introduced myself formally and carefully: Hi, my name is Lydier. I am a self-volunteer for today’s Thanksgiving event. I am here to donate the gift packages that my friend and I have prepared for the event today. May I have a moment of yours?
Gradually, she became less defensive and was able to tell me her story in Chinese. I think she’s the only one out of the other 10 people we’ve met and spoken that night has told us why she is at where she is today.
It didn’t take long at all for us to distribute all of the packages because some people approached us proactively when they noticed what we were doing in near-range. This outcome created an ambivalent feeling in my mind. Because many people we’ve encountered that night exhibited signs of desperation for food and necessity needs. And when they took the gift bags and food, their eyes expressed interminable gratitude. So why I was been told by other hosts that there weren’t any volunteer positions left?
Its bizarre and upsetting. I do not intend to blame the fixate and maladroit system that’s created by the human but ultimately undermined our ability to serve others with greater flexibility and compassion. For those who started to recognize the trend and decided to vere to a different direction. Maybe it’s time for us to rethink how to bring forth humanity value before the current reality.
Meditation For Developing Patience, Forgiveness, and Compassion,
2nd Thanksgiving
Beyond the Drop-Off: Rethinking Citizen Engagement This Christmas
This Christmas, my friends Yinh, Rob, and I embarked on a mission to spread some holiday cheer across Los Angeles. Armed with a car full of donations and a shared desire to make a difference, we ventured into the city’s diverse neighborhoods, from the gritty streets of Skid Row to the bustling boulevards of Santa Monica.
Our approach this year differed from previous volunteer experiences. Instead of focusing on a single location, we chose to distribute our carefully prepared packages across various areas, hoping to reach a wider range of people in need.
As we navigated the city, a troubling trend emerged. We witnessed countless “drive-by” donations, where well-meaning individuals would speed through an area, tossing food and other items onto the sidewalks without a word, leaving recipients to scramble for the goods. This “minimalistic interaction,” as I call it, seemed to have become the norm, and it left me deeply unsettled.
While the intention behind these quick drop-offs may be noble, the act itself felt impersonal and even dehumanizing. Where was the human connection? The simple act of acknowledging another person’s existence, of offering a kind word or a moment of shared humanity, seemed to have been lost in the rush to give.
Amidst this disheartening trend, we encountered Jay, a talented artist from Philadelphia whose journey had taken an unexpected turn. He had come to LA with dreams of showcasing his vibrant splash paintings, but the pandemic had left him stranded and struggling. His story served as a powerful reminder that hardship can strike anyone, and that even the most fleeting connection can offer a glimmer of hope.
This Christmas, our experience transcended the simple act of giving. It sparked a reflection on what it truly means to be a better citizen. It’s not just about the material donations, but about recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of every individual, regardless of their circumstances. It’s about fostering genuine connections and offering compassion, even in the briefest of encounters.
As we move forward, let’s challenge ourselves to go beyond the “minimalistic interaction.” Let’s engage with our communities in a meaningful way, offering not just material aid, but also empathy, respect, and a willingness to truly see and connect with those around us. This, I believe, is the essence of true citizenship.
