Gannon ABST Washington, DC

A friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face... Friday, May 11th  Today was our last day at the Father McKenna Center! Though we are very tired and ready to return home to our own beds, we will miss our FMC friends deeply. I am very glad that the students got a chance to reflect on and write about their experiences with some of the men at the shelter and at the Peace Meal, but I wanted to take a chance to reflect on the relationships we built with other volunteers or staff members. The staff at the shelter arrive early every morning, some as early as 4:45 am to start breakfast. Regular volunteers show up routinely at 7:00 am to start their day by serving and connecting with the men. The staff and volunteers were both so welcoming and friendly. Austin was one of the staff members that I worked most directly with -- he is a Jesuit Volunteer Corps member who manages the FMC food pantry. It was awesome to hear about his experience and compare it to our experiences as an Amer...

Today, May 10th, was a very intriguing and well rounded day, . Usually I help Russel in the Kitchen, but today I was able to serve the men breakfast at the Father McKenna Center. This allowed me to better connect with the men since I am usually behind the scenes whether that be with helping prepare the meals or cleaning the various facilities around the center. Overall, it was a very interesting perspective to see. It was nice to see the men smiling and exuberant whenever I was able to interact with them. Often the simple things allowed them to express this, such as asking the men how their day is going or telling them to have a nice day. After serving at the Father McKenna Center, our group went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of American History by way of the Metro. This was an extremely exciting and strange experience. It was strange in the sense that the Metro was underground and we were able to move at a faster speed because of the lack of traffic. Somethi...

After out daily volunteering with breakfast and midday meal at the Father McKenna Center, we drove to the National Coahiliton of the Homeless (NCH). Here, we met with John and Pam who have both experienced homelessness and are now working with NCH to advocate for the homeless. John started off simply by asking us what some common misconceptions about how a person becomes homeless are. Some responses were that they are lazy or that they do not want to seek help. It is easy for people to believe these misconceptions, and it is difficult to understand the truth of how homelessness occurs until you meet someone who is willing to share their experience with you. John and Pam shared their their stories of how they became homeless, and how they got themselves out of the extreme poverty that they were living in. They shared their insights about the emotional side of how it feels to be homeless, and how their dignity is taken away with each day living on the street. It is very impactful to lear...

Today, we had the opportunity to meet Mike Kelly, U.S Republican for Pennsylvania. This was an eye-opening opportunity where we got to dig deeper into the political aspect of homelessness.Mike Kelly showed an interest in attending an ABST session at Gannon as he was astonished with the work we are doing at the Father McKenna Center. Mike Kelly was extremely open and listened intently to our concerns about what policies are being put into place regarding homelessness. After the meeting, we toured the Longworth House where we saw numerous statues and documents that are vital to our country's roots. These opportunities involved a lot of walking, so our group was extremely hungry, so we headed over to Union Station. We ate at Thunder Grill which was extremely delicious and provided an opportunity for the group to bond. When we were all full and happy, we walked back to the Father McKenna Center under the beautiful sun. In the evening, we volunteered with Peace Meals, which is another o...

Monday April 7th, Greetings from the DC!! Today we got orientated for the week and fully immersed ourselves in our service trip. Our group worked together to serve the guests at the shelter and divided up to complete other projects including sorting cans, cleaning bathrooms, and participating in the food pantry. One moment that stuck out to me was when a man named Bernard showered and got a new outfit at FMC. He felt so confident and proud in his new dress shirt and khakis. Bernard continued to introduce himself with a huge smile on his face and even offered us money, twice. It was beautiful to see that someone with less than us was still willing to give whatever he had and was so thankful that he wanted to give back. Moments with the men and other volunteers here bring me hope and a new perspective surrounding homelessness. After one day serving at the Father McKenna Center, I can surely say my heart has been opened and filled with love from my group, staff members at the FMC, othe...

Our Eventful First Day Hey everybody! Sunday, we left a little late and had to stop at six atms before we finally got money for the tolls. We were on our way after that. We listened to comedy specials, music, and goats screaming and fainting. We got stuck in traffic for over an hour and arrived a tad bit late. Through the car ride we had a lot of laughs and got to know one another fairly well. Even though we hit traffic it was a blessing in disguise. It was a catalyst for helping us starting to bond better and starting new friendships. When we got their Ned greeted us and gave us a tour of the Father McKenna center. He told us the story of Father McKenna and everything he stood for. - Tommy Tripodis Good evening friends and family, Our first day was very stressful. Besides being way off schedule, we had a jarring experience at Walmart. We were shopping for some of our meals and when we walked in we encountered a man yelling racial slurs. Immediately we removed oursel...