Final night

Hi,
It's, John Craig again. I sit here writing this thinking back on the profound week that I have just gone through. I have gone to work sites that have impacted me in way that is are impossible to put into words. This sounds cliche but its true. I have seen the disparities in the housing and upkeep of certain parts of the city, and I have seen the environmental effects that the factories, that once employed thousands of the citizens of Camden, have left on the city. Entire fields are quarantined due to the hazard es waste of these plants. I have helped at the pre-k here in the parish that the Romero Center is part of. There i saw children who more than likely have unstable home lives. They were full of joy and I it gave me hope that they have a good future ahead. I then went to a food pantry/shelter for homeless men in Philly. This was an eye opener that destroyed my stereotypes of homeless people, because I saw plenty of guys who I would never place the tag of homeless on. Yesterday i helped at Philabundance, a food processing plant in Philly. We worked to package food for families. And today I worked at the other end of Philabundance, at what was presented as a market where people could come and get food for free and have the choice to choose what food they want.The major thing that I have seen from my experience is that one of the major things we do is give dignity to the people we serve. This has been a major thing that the people at the Romero Center have stressed to us. And this is true. You can see it in the smile that a homeless man gives you when you hand him a piece of bread, or when you give a four year old his 100th piggy back ride in 10 minutes. I need to finish this so I'll end with this thought.
At the begging of this trip they told us that our service would mean more to and have a bigger impact on us than the people we serve. When I heard this I thought that they were just saying this. But tonight as I face heading back to my normal life in Waltham I see that this is true. This has changed me in ways I can't begin to describe.

-John S. Craig