On a Wednesday night near the end of last semester, Meal Exchange, a student run group of campus volunteers committed to feeding London's hungry, joined forces with CSLN volunteers at Ark Aid Street Mission, to enjoy a night of "serving" the community - literally. We all gathered by the Natural Science bus stop at 5:15 pm on a chilly November night, waiting for the 2 Dundas to take us to our destination. Almost none of us knew one another providing for an interesting bus ride getting to know other volunteers. Myself and Brittany, the Meal Exchange representative, then led the group to Ark Aid Street Mission. There we were met with owner Wade, who assigned each of us a unique task to do - entree, soup, salads, desserts, coffee, cleaners, greeters and floaters.... Yes, we were going to serve dinner to some Londoners in need.
Only a few of us had ever served at a soup kitchen before. None of us really knew what to expect. Wade told us it may not be a busy night as welfare checks had been mailed the day before. Before we knew it we had hair nets on and the doors opened. The night was busy and the 3 hours flew by (almost) without a hitch! The patrons of the "Ark" seemed to be enjoying their meals and the company around them. There was even enough for seconds of dessert, treats that campus Starbucks' kindly donate each day to the house. Some of the guests stuck around to chat with us, others went to the used clothing store in the neighbouring room. Perhaps most interesting of all, many found their way downstairs to the basement of the Ark, where a graduate of UWO Fine Arts was hosting The New School of Colour, an art program that runs weekdays from 7-9 pm. After the dinner rush and a lively conversation with two other gentlemen about the future of health care in Canada, I found myself wandering downstairs too where I met some of the other volunteers in awe of the hidden talent and treasures of London's artistic community. I could see now why Wade had called The New School of Colour "one of the best things to ever happen to the Ark."
Half an hour later after most of the guests had gone home, the volunteers and I went to catch the bus back to campus. Everyone was in good spirits and a few reflection questions revealed they would all be interested in participating in a similar event in the future and serving London's hungry again. It was a challenging yet eye-opening experience that I am glad I got to be a part of. I look forward to upcoming trips with Meal Exchange to Ark Aid and other unique opportunities to serve the community!
-Lauren
For more information visit Ark Aid's homepage
http://www.arkaidmission.com/mission.html
Where Western's CSLN participants share their stories of Community Service Learning.
