Diary Entry: Volunteering at a Homeless Shelter

Today it is Christmas day, and it has been a really interesting and exciting night. I volunteered at a homeless shelter, where I gave out Christmas dinner. After it was over I stayed around a bit and talked with some of the volunteers and homeless people. It was nice to see some of the people that I met last year, both the homeless and the volunteers. I met Michael again, he is an old man who lives on the street, he had his dog, Norbert, with him. Norbert is his best friend, he is an old German Shepard, he helps Michael find his way around and keeps him company. Michael was telling me about his family that he doesn’t see anymore, which I find very sad, because I could never imagine not having my family close, and especially when it is Christmas.

I also met Hannah again, she is also a volunteer at the shelter. She was homeless a couple of years ago. When she was 19 years old, her parents threw her out. She would live in her car, and sometimes on the street. The shelter helped her get food, and it gave her a place to feel safe. Here she met other homeless people like her. She turned her life around and got help from her parents to pursue an education, and now she is studying to be a nurse. Every week she helps out at the shelter, that helped her.