Today we started off the day by serving the men at the Father McKenna Center breakfast. Then everyone went into the kitchen and cooked lunch for the men. When lunch was finished we were able to serve the men the lunch and see what an impact our hard work had on their lives.

For lunch, our group was served pizza and ice cream funded as a gift from the Father McKenna Center as a thank you for helping them this week. Then we set out to make cards as a thank you back to them for our reflection. 

Today was our last day of service and exploration before heading back home. We didn’t end up having extra service after lunch, which was sad, but we were happy to be able to spend the extra time exploring DC.

Today, we decided it would be a great day to visit the National Zoo and some of the National Monuments. We started off by going to the National Zoo where we saw all sorts of animals such as pandas, reptiles, apes and even a new baby elephant.

After exploring the Zoo and seeing all of the amazing creatures we headed to the Lincoln Memorial. At the Lincoln Memorial we took lots of pictures and I think I can say for the whole group that we were all shocked at the sheer size of the statue and the building as a whole. We were also able to see the Washington Monument from a new angle which was also very pretty.

I think my overall favorite part of today and this trip overall was not only being able to connect with such amazing people in the Gannon community, but being able to serve and make a positive impact on the community as a whole.

Rather than start our day with service today, we had the opportunity to visit the Senate Building and meet with Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. After that, we shared lunch at the Dubliner, a restaurant the Father McKenna Center staff highly recommended and who often partners with and donates to the center.

Our next stop was to see Pennsylvania State Representative Mike Kelly. We had an impactful conversation about the homeless community and how we can mitigate our bias and humanize the demographic of people that need support not judgement. His wonderful staff gave us a tour of the capitol building before granting us gallery passes to give us the unique opportunity to watch the House of Representatives in action while they were proposing a bill to support veteran healthcare.

We continued to get our steps in and traveled to the National Botanical Gardens and then the National Gallery where we were able to see the stunning VanGogh, Degas and Monet paintings on display!

After a long week of cooking dinners, we enjoyed one at the Jefferson together before catching the metro for the first time to get back to the center just in time to get ready for bed!

With one sleep left after tonight, we are happy that home is on the horizon, but we are also already sad to leave the amazing people we have met along this trip.

What a well-rounded day full of opportunity, community, and all the best views of our Nation’s beautiful capital!

Tuesday our group started by getting breakfast and prepping to serve. After breakfast we helped cleaning and prepped for lunch. During our break we learned more about the Father McKenna center. 

After lunch we helped with the food pantry. We were able to assist people in acquiring their grocery needs. After we cleaned up the food pantry, we got ready to walk to the Holocaust museum. 

While walking to and from the Holocaust museum we did some sightseeing, and we were able to see the White House and explore more of DC.

When we got back, we were very tired from the long day. One of our group members, Haylee, started to make dinner and we began to set up for the night. We enjoyed dinner and began to clean up for the night. After clean-up we all were able to relax and decompress. 

Today was a fantastic experience working with the staff and the clients, and it was nice to continue to experience DC!

In between breakfast and lunch, an accompanier on the trip and I got to have a very insightful conversation with one of the staff and another volunteer who comes into the center every week. We talked about how the center tries to meet people where they are and support them in any way that they can.

One quote the staff member said that stuck out to me was, “You should always be yourself and not compare yourself to others because everyone else is already taken.”

Later in the day, we went to the museum of Natural History.

We then came back and cooked dinner and did our daily reflection.

Today was such an amazing experience, and I am excited to see where the rest of the week takes us!

On our seventh day we set out for Beth-El Church, rolling in around 9:45 a.m. Our morning kicked off with some teamwork, pairing up lotions and strawberries for about an hour before heading out to meet local farm workers and hand out care packages. Each package was filled with essentials: a bandana, shampoo, mouthwash and body lotion.

We reached McClure Farms right at noon just as the workers were taking their short break. Time was tight because we had to move fast since their lunch is over almost as soon as it begins. In those few minutes we managed to hand out around 62 packages while greeting everyone warmly. It was eye-opening and honestly heartbreaking to see how little time they get to eat, especially while working under the relentless Florida sun. I have so much respect for their resilience. Talking with them gave us a real glimpse into the tough realities immigrant workers face, like job insecurity, no paid time off, no health insurance and a lack of basic benefits many of us take for granted.

By 12:45 p.m. it was time to say goodbye to the farm and head back to Beth-El for lunch. On the way something wild happened. A baby alligator crossed the road right in front of us! The whole van was buzzing with excitement and disbelief. Before lunch we gathered to reflect on the week’s highlights, share new things we had learned and ask questions about the workers’ experiences. During this I had a really cool conversation with Jesus, the handyman at Beth-El, and discovered he’s from Guanajuato, a city famous for its mummy museum. That totally blew my mind because I had never heard of it! Lunch itself was a feast: empanadas, rice, beans, salsa and enchiladas. The flavors were so authentic that it was unforgettable.

After our meal we presented Beth-El with a small donation from the Gannon family which they received with heartfelt gratitude. Then at 2 p.m. we headed back to campus to gear up for the big event, the Strawberry Festival!

Everyone piled into the van, buzzing with excitement for the 40 minute ride, with a quick pit stop at Publix to grab our tickets. When we arrived the place was packed with people and cars all over. Parking lots were overflowing with people even offering up spots in their own yards. The whole neighborhood was alive with folks of all ages. The festival had not one but three Ferris wheels, including a giant one we just had to try. Riding high above the bustling crowd with my friends under a sky painted by the sunset was pure magic. We explored the festival grounds, soaking up as much as we could before heading out for a late dinner.

For our final team meal we hit up Hibachi. We split into two groups and handed out silly award titles to each other while laughing, reminiscing and feeling a little sad knowing it was our last dinner together before heading back to Erie.

The night seemed to be winding down until around 12:30 a.m. when Sharif and Amy were the only ones still up and wandered into the kitchen. Amy was sipping chocolate milk as Sharif popped a bagel in the toaster. Suddenly BAM! The fire alarm blared to life. No smoke and no fire, just chaos as everyone stumbled out of bed and out the door at 1 a.m., groggy and confused, while the firefighters strolled in to check things out. The Ruskin maintenance team showed up fast and after a quick look we were told it was a false alarm. Relief washed over us, especially since all our important documents were still inside and we had a flight in the morning! It was a crazy and hilarious end to an unforgettable day and once the adrenaline wore off we all finally managed to get some sleep.

All-in-all it was a day packed with deep conversations, meaningful service, a little chaos and a lot of laughs. This trip has taught me so much, and I couldn’t have asked for a more memorable ending with the fire alarm as our grand finale.

Today we started our day with breakfast of pancakes, oatmeal and beans-they all were tasty (just like all our meals have been).

Next, we went to Lake Atitlán to board the boat and traveled to San Juan for a few presentations. We did honey tasting, fabric dying/weaving, chocolate tasting and a medicinal tour.

We were also able to stop at local vendors and purchase some souvenirs. We ate lunch before traveling to San Marcos. While we were there most of the group did cliff jumping from 40 feet high.

After some time in the water, we headed home to San Lucas. We had time for a little more shopping in our neighborhood before dinner. We had some delicious potatoes, pasta, cabbage salad, mixed veggies, and plantains.

To end our week, we met with the Mission staff and Long term volunteers to say goodbye, thank you and exchange gifts.

This week has been very transformative and insightful of the Guatemalan culture and community. We can’t wait to go back for more learning, service and community. 

After spending time here and learning more about the community, those feelings have grown into gratitude. Through our daily reflections, I’ve realized how fortunate I am and how much I appreciate my family for always supporting me and giving me opportunities to grow. But enough about me, let’s get into today’s blog.

This morning, we arrived at Beth El and waited to be assigned to our work stations. Sharif, Nikki and I were responsible for sorting and pricing donated Amazon items and electronics while also checking to make sure they worked properly. The rest of the group split into two teams, one bagging sweets for Easter gift bags and the other packaging rice and beans.

Once our group finished our task, we went around to help the others. Our motto quickly became, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” One of the most heartwarming moments for me was helping bag candy for the Easter bags. Beth-El works hard to ensure that children in the community can celebrate Easter, creating joyful memories that many kids cherish growing up.

Later, we received another large bin of donated items and returned to our station to continue sorting. After finishing that task, we moved on to preparing bags with straws and lotion. At first I was confused “Straws and lotion?!” but we learned that sometimes large donations come in bulk, so they pair certain items together when distributing supplies.

The highlight of the day was breaking down cardboard boxes. We piled them into a cart and took turns stomping them flat. It reminded one of my group members of how grapes are stomped to make wine, which made everyone laugh. At one point I even shuffled sideways inside the cart and accidentally moved the whole thing, which made the group laugh even more.

After our work was done, Pastor Tamara and Abby gave us a tour of the surrounding community and explained how many farmworkers live. Some workers carpool or rely on public transportation if they do not have vehicles. Housing can be difficult due to rising rent in the Tampa area, and sometimes multiple families share a single trailer to afford the cost. Next to Beth-El is a charter school that supports children from farmworker families during the summer, and students can also attend extra study sessions on Saturdays if they need help with their grades.

We ended the evening with dinner, getting creative with the groceries we had left. Some of us watched The Lion King, while others headed to bed to rest for the next day.

Overall, it was a meaningful day filled with teamwork, laughter, and a deeper understanding of the community we came here to serve.

We started the morning at Cornerstone House, one of the homes of L’Arche Hamilton, where we gathered to plan the day. The colder weather reminded us that our time in Canada was coming to an end. Our main plan was to visit 541 Eatery and Exchange and later volunteer at Good Shepherd Centers.

Our first stop was 541 Eatery and Exchange, a nonprofit community café that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. One of the most unique parts of the café is its “Button Program,” where each button represents one dollar. People can purchase buttons and leave them for others to use if they cannot afford a meal. This program encourages generosity while allowing people to receive help with dignity. While we were there, the volunteer coordinator shared some of the challenges the café faces, especially with rising food costs and inflation. Despite these difficulties, the café continues to operate because of volunteers and staff who are motivated by compassion and a strong sense of community.

After brunch, we had some time before our next activity, so we walked to a nearby thrift store run by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Earlier in the week, one of the L’Arche core-members had volunteered there, so it was interesting to visit the place he had talked about. On the way there, we also noticed signs of the struggles some people in the community face, including individuals without stable housing. Seeing this reminded us why organizations like the ones we visited are so important. 

Later in the afternoon, we went to Good Shepherd, where we helped package food supplies that would be distributed to families in need. Although the work was simple, it required teamwork and organization. One of the staff members thanked our group and mentioned that our help allowed them to move their work forward by several days. It was meaningful to know that even a short time of volunteering could make a difference.

In the evening, we returned to Cornerstone House for dinner with several core members. We spent time talking about our day and reflecting on the week. One of the core-members shared some of his past challenges, but he spoke with a positive attitude that left a strong impression on us. Another member who always joins us asked for our email addresses so we could stay in touch, and he even sent us a message shortly after dinner to say hello.

As the youngest member of the group, this trip had a strong impact on me. I learned not only from the organizations we visited, but also from the core-members, the live-in assistants, and my teammates. Seeing life from different perspectives helped me better understand the importance of empathy, community and service. 

After working for a while, we ate lunch together. When lunch was finished, we continued helping out before taking a short break to refuel for the rest of the day.

Around 4 p.m., we started assembling the panuchos for the people who had ordered them. Once everything was prepared, we were able to eat some panuchos ourselves.

Afterward, we helped package more panuchos until the work at the mission was finished. We said our goodbyes to everyone there, and Jose brought us back to the house. We ended the night with reflection and by reading our affirmation bags.

In the morning we left campus at 9 a.m. to meet our partners from Beth-El to help prepare for the upcoming event of passing out food in the pantry. Today we helped to serve 522 families with food aide which was a very accomplishing number to learn. Getting the opportunity to help out that many families and more filled our group with joy. 

We began our service day by organizing some last few tasks that needed done prior to passing out the pantry to patrons. We split into a few groups to complete them quicker and had some time left over for lunch and a quick few much needed naps before the pantry opened. 

After that we received words from the pastor before beginning to pass food out to the patrons who had shown up for our service. A phrase I particularly was attached to went, “A warm smile is a universal expression of kindness” -William Arther Ward. This expression stuck out to me as I have a similar saying that goes “There is no reason not to smile, when you smile it makes others smile and that makes you smile too”. 

We each received stations where we stood at and passed out each of our options to the patrons. Beth-El pantry is a “client-choice” pantry meaning that out of the options they are allowed to choose if they receive the items or not. We learned that many times multiple family’s will live in one home and often not have enough space for extra items and are forced to choose not to receive certain items that that may not consume. 

As I was passing out the items on my pallets I had found that I quickly ran out of items. I had to restock a total of three times just to get through the day. It felt very accomplishing to even go through a single pallet of items let alone more than that. 

After our day serving the community we headed back to campus and had only 15 minutes to get ready for our dinner with alumni. I’d say we cleaned up pretty well for them. After finally reaching the restaurant we got the chance to chat with Ruskin alum about their careers as well as their campus experiences that differed from our own up in Erie. We ate a very good dinner and enjoyed the company and conversations we had. But at the same time could not wait to get back to campus for the night. 

Finally, around 10:30 p.m. we made our way back to campus to reflect on our service and the experiences we had through the day. Everyone talked about just how much this experience has affected them in such great ways and had the opportunity to reminisce all of the positivity we experienced within this community. 

Some of us (Haki and I) had a little extra energy before bed that we needed to get out. I suggested that I teach everyone some line dances that I know and although I only had a couple of participants, and a few viewers, due to bedtime it was so much fun getting to share my line dance knowledge as I love it so much and spreading the joy that it brings. We danced and danced and danced until we got all of the “zoomies” out and truly felt the weight of the work we had done today. Luckily all of our energy was completely depleted and everyone got to sleep tight!