David Graziano

Make a Difference Day

                I’ll admit that I went into Make a Difference Day with somewhat low expectations.  I was told this was sort of like the Day of Service only not as large.  The organization of the event was my biggest problem with the Day of Service, and I doubted it would have improved in only a months’ time.  I suspected a lack of organization would plague the entire day, much like it did in the Day of Service.  Only one of these predictions actually came true.

There were some serious organization problems starting out.  Many people missed the part about handing in your paper for a bus ticket, and that slowed down the boarding process considerably.  The signs for different groups also could’ve been clearer.  There were no descriptions of exactly what we’d be doing, and for the whole bus ride I was concerned we’d get nothing accomplished.  But then we made our stop and everything just worked.

Our job was putting together Thanksgiving dinner boxes for families that were still suffering from the effects of Super Storm Sandy.  The event was being organized by another group, and we were volunteering.  This took care of the organization problem.  We just got in line and formed two human conveyer belts that put the different items in boxes and sealed them up.  We just kept doing that for a smooth 2 hours, completing a remarkable number of boxes.

There was a bittersweet felling of making a difference, but also knowing that we live in a world where such a difference needs to be made.  The only real complaint I have is that after the lunch break, the place had more volunteers than it knew what to do with.  This lead to an hour long period of just finding random activities to do for FoodBank, or just standing around trying to find something to do.

I really felt good about myself after Make a Difference Day, felt I played a big role in helping some people in need.  I would describe Make a Difference Day as an excellent activity, one that I hope will continue years in the future.