THE IMPORTANCE OF KINDNESS

from Delphian Magazine - Issue 128

by Delphian School

Delphian Magazine - Issue 128

THE IMPORTANCE OF KINDNESS

Junior William Collins discusses his experience volunteering at the McMinnville Salvation Army food pantry

This project made me a lot more aware and increased my appreciation for humanitarian work and for the people who do it.

**ABOVE L-R BACK WILLIAM COLLINS, PENNELOPE AREZZINI, ALEK SIMONOV, ROMEO RAMELLI, NATHAN CLOUTIER L-R FRONT MIA SOLOMON, OLI BEAUREGARD, AND ROWAN BENNETT**

The Salvation Army of McMinnville food pantry provides food boxes for those in need. The food is distributed “shopping” style by volunteers. Volunteers also help sort food donations, stock shelves, keep storage rooms organized, and handle various needs as they arise.

The following is an excerpt from a letter the director wrote regarding William’s performance, followed by an interview with William:

During his time volunteering, William proved time and again that he was highly capable of working with our guests in a manner that was respectful, efficient, and enjoyable for staff and guests alike.

He possesses the ability to make individuals feel comfortable with dignity and pride. No one wishes for themselves to have to visit a food pantry. Societal stigmas deem those utilizing our services as outcasts or, worse yet, undesirable.

William single-handedly combatted this and made our guests feel both welcome and genuinely wanting to be at our establishment. He is a true treasure, a remarkable young man, and, more importantly, embodies a kind and caring spirit that this world so desperately needs.

Delphian Magazine: How did this project relate to your academic program?

William: On Form 7, students do a community outreach project.

DM: What were your responsibilities on this project?

William: I was responsible for recruiting a group of Delphian student volunteers, organizing transportation to and from the school, and managing the student volunteers and myself to help with projects and tasks at the food pantry.

DM: What sort of skills did you find you needed most while working on this project?

William: The two most important skills were manners and communication. You have to remember that the people coming in for food don’t really want to be there; being dependent on others for necessities like food for your family isn’t a feeling people generally enjoy. So it’s important to be polite, make them feel welcome, and to be kind. Beyond that the work is simple–taking orders and fulfilling them from the inventory.

Usually, when people got their box, they were very thankful, and sometimes they even looked relieved. It’s a nice feeling being able to help people like that.

DM: Was this project different from what you expected?

William: When I first went to do the project, I was a bit concerned about what the working conditions were going to be like. I’d never really done anything like this before. I thought it might be a bit rough having to work with people.

I was surprised to find that the people we were there to help were mostly very friendly; they just needed a bit of help.

DM: What challenges did you encounter that you had to overcome?

William: About a third of the customers who came in while I was there didn’t understand English very well. It was a bit of a challenge to figure out how to ensure they understood my communication with my limited Spanish vocabulary. I also wanted to ensure my communication maintained the same level of kindness that I can easily express when speaking English.

To help with this, I was asked to do an administrative project helping translate the ordering menu into Spanish. I’m only semi-fluent in Spanish, so I spent a lot of time looking up words from several different resources, ensuring I used the most common words so the translation would be easily understood. It was a lot of back-and-forth translating and re-translating, but I eventually figured it out.

DM: How has this project changed your perspective?

William: Delphian’s campus and community is pretty nice. It’s a little like living in a bubble; you can forget what’s out there. Going out and doing humanitarian work like this helps you better understand how other people live and get a real picture of their struggles. Putting together a food box and assisting someone is simple for us, but it is enormous for them. This project made me a lot more aware and increased my appreciation for humanitarian work and for the people who do it.