the fourth one about nyc: the rainy game

Tonight was baseball night…there was a rain delay, but it was the best part! here are three more reflections from the GOOTH…

Adam Chatham (9^th grade)

Hi, during the baseball game it started raining badly. Lucky for me I was under a roof. Before the rain started we all went and got food and free baseball caps. Some of us went to get them signed but the hat was ruined by the rain. I think after 30 minutes of the rain me and two friends were getting bored. They had to cover the field and wait for the rain to stop. Stephen suggested we take a look in the gift shop. By the time we got there we realized that there was nothing there we could afford and the rain was still pouring heavily. So we played a game where we had to guess the prices of items. We first did the hat. I guessed 30 dollars and Stephen said 20. It was 15. Then we went to the t shirts. I guessed 25 and Stephen guessed 30. Well it was actually 40 dollars. We started to talk about how overpriced things are here. When we got to the jackets we made guesses and we were way off. The hoodys were 80 dollars. Finally we went to the replica Yankee shirts. They were over 200 dollars. We all started laughing. After that we went back outside and the rain had stopped so we took our seats and started watching the game again. The Yankees had a shutout going when we left.

Alyssa Brown (12^th grade)

Today was a busy day; my group went to a clothing bank at an old army terminal in Brooklyn. We sorted through tons of clothes, first men’s then women’s clothes. The clothing brand Chaps (for men) had just donated a boatload of shirts, jackets, sweaters, pants, etc. Most of the clothes that were donated were used as samples and were made in foreign countries such as Korea, China, and Taiwan. In order to get import taxes reduced, the factories cut minor holes in the clothes and we had to throw those clothes away because they sent a message of inferiority to those receiving the clothes. We also bundled a ton of women’s sweaters and on our break, we went down to the pier and saw the Manhattan skyline. When we got back to YSOP headquarters, two social workers talked to us about working with homeless people and how they lobby the NY State Congress to pass laws in favor of homeless/low income people. It was a pretty long seminar but also inspired me to want to help and volunteer more. Then we came home and went to the baseball game which you already read about and now we are about to go to bed to get ready for tomorrow!

Sarah Hoyle (9^th grade)

So, I guess none of you blog readers have heard from my group yet. But Jill, David, Hannah, Katie and our leaders Sam and Jennifer and I are all in a YSOP group on Manhattan. On Monday, we worked in a place called Food Change where we made food to ship out to different agencies that would distribute it to hungry people. Hannah, David and I chopped 250 POUNDS OF POTATOES! It was actually really fun. We also chopped some carrots and onions and celery and other vegetables to put in a delicious pot of beef stew. We had lots of fun. On Tuesday we worked in the Love Gospel Church…yea. It was defiantly a new experience, but there were WAY too many volunteers. 52 in a room half the size of the church fellowship hall. When we prayed as a group right before we served the food, there were lots of AMENS shouted. It was intense. We had the job of resetting the tables after they had been cleaned as the guests were leaving the soup kitchen. Then today our group worked in a place called Furnish a Future. Apparently it was on the Today Show, and for good reason. This two story warehouse building was filled with furniture and other necessary household items that had been donated and would be given to individuals who were starting in a new home from being homeless. I thought it was really great that there was SO much new/slightly worn furniture to give out. We had the job of putting the finishing coat of varnish on about 20 nightstands. During lunch break we walked around the neighborhood and it was very interesting to see the differences between each block we walked. We saw a VERY fresh poultry house that had chickens and rabbits sitting in cages to be slaughtered for meat. You definately don’t see places like that on your average street in Clemmons! This has been such an awesome experience for me and I’m really looking forward to these last few days!

the second one about nyc: first exposure

i don’t have much time to make any opening comments, because curfew is coming up…so, here is what a few of the youth had to say today…

Reva Manikas (12th grade)

Today was day two of our trip. The Staten Island group was assigned to Project Hospitality (PH). When we arrived; we were then split into three sub groups. My group and I stayed at the food pantry. Mondays at the food pantry/soup kitchen aren’t as busy as the rest of the week. Today we helped get the area ready for the chaotic day to come tomorrow. I enjoyed the volunteers at PH; they had a sense of humor and you could clearly tell they were truly New Yorkers. The only thing that was really frustrating was the big walk up the hill back to the church. After the PH group were reunited with the rest of the Staten Island group and were able to get some rest in before meeting the YSOP group in Manhattan. We took the ferry to Manhattan then walked around the LONG way to see Battery Park and on through NYC to go to the Stage Door Deli. The Sandwiches were extremely big, so I had to share. They were fabulous. After dinner, we visited the Financial Center and took pictures looking down at Ground Zero. That was the best part for me. 8 years after, there is still construction going on. It looked as if it had happened just a week or so before. After visiting the World Trade Center, we toured down Wall Street and downtown Manhattan. Lastly, we got onto the Ferry and headed to the Church. Although everyone was exhausted and tired from walking around, catching subways, and working hard, I know that we all are extremely excited to be in the Big Apple, NYC!

Kelly Norris (9th grade)

Today, after going learning about Project Hospitality, the agency The Staten Island group divided into three groups. My group went to help out at their summer reading program. When we got there we met some awesome kids who were there to learn more about reading. I helped some younger kids with their reading packets that they had to complete. It was really cool because they were all so nice and great to work with. I don’t think I’ll ever forget trying to explain fact and opinion using a piece of blue yarn I found on the table. It worked pretty well though. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the smiling and laughing kids there. Afterwards we had our free time in the city. We walked through Battery Park, ate dinner and saw Ground Zero. On the Ferry ride back to the island we stood out on the back deck. The view of the skyline was amazing! The work is hard and we walk, a lot, but all in all, it’s a great experience.

Ian McElwee (11th grade)

After waking up at 6 in the morning, boarding a ferry and the subway with the morning work rush, we finally arrived at YSOP and started our service adventure into New York City. We started with a breakfast orientation and talked about what it meant to be homeless and to serve. After the orientation and discussion, our three groups split up and went to different agencies all around the city. My group (Ian, Patrick, Tyler, Sara Morris, Niki, and Bill & Cathy Teller) went to St. Johns Bread and Life in Brooklyn, after getting lost in the subway. St. Johns is a soup kitchen along with other services (group help, library and homework help, Medical Aid, and Legal Aid just to name a few). We arrived just in time to serve lunch, and from 10:30 to 12:30 we served about 300 people. I helped cleaning the dishes while others in the group helped serve food, distribute drinks, clean tables, and clean up outside. The whole experience gave us an opportunity to really see that when the YSOP people said that 1 in 6 people in New York City go hungry every day, they weren’t exaggerating. Every day the agency serves 600-1000 people for breakfast and lunch. After talking about our day at YSOP, the whole group met at Ground Zero and walked around. We walked down Broadway and marveled at the buildings and how tall they are. The ferry ride back gave us a perfect view of the Manhattan skyline. The first day of service was a new experience even for those who have been on a mission trip before.