I remember Valentines Day last year. I had to squint to see my mom who was right next to me. New York City was sunny and beautiful. I have always wanted to help people who were less fortunate than myself, so my mom found the organization God’s Love We Deliver. It is an organization that makes food for people who can’t afford it or for people who have an illness. The people who run it donate a lot of time and energy. When my mom and I arrived, everyone kept saying how much they appreciated our help. I was really flattered and my cheeks turned to a rosy red. We loaded bags of food into our car. In the bags there was beans, rice, fruits, and chocolate. A man who was as tall as a traffic light, with a long neck and broad shoulders, gave us a list of all the places to deliver the food.
My mom drove us up to the first apartment. I smelled the crisp fall air as I closed my car door. I was really nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. I clenched my mom’s hand and we walked together into the elevator. We went up and up until the door opened at the seventh floor. We found apartment 7A, and rang the bell. I heard a cough coming from inside, and then the door opened. An old man with a cane stepped out. His hair was a light shade of grey and was combed back neatly away from his face and his clothes did not have a wrinkle, his eyes were an ocean blue and his face was slightly tanned. My mom handed him the bag of food but he couldn’t carry the bag because of all it’s weight, so she went inside the house and put it on a table for him. He said, “Thank you,” in a kindly manner and closed the door behind us. When my mom and I stepped into the elevator, we both started to cry. We felt so bad for the man; he was so kind and did not deserve to live this way, in a small, one-room apartment.
Since having this experience, I have become more aware of how blessed, and lucky I am to have a home that is so welcoming and comforting, where there is always food on the table. What I did that day is unlike anything I had done before. Delivering meals to these people in need has changed my life, and has left a dent in my heart.
