As I arrived at the center, my nerves were on edge. It was unworldly different to what I am used to seeing, it was unsettling. The small, yellow, building with people swarming in and out, was like stepping into a different world–people who were very old or even young sitting there waiting for food, people who had everything they had in a basket, people who, when the center closed, had really nowhere to go. 

   A difference I have made in my community was when my high school gymnastics team went to the Hopes Center in Waukesha, to serve food and clean for people in need. The Hope Center helps people who are living in poverty, whether that's giving food to them, or giving them a job to earn some money

   The people who were there were very grateful and kind. It was very pleasing to see everyone so happy for the bit of food they got. Before everyone got to eating, a woman, who I assume ran things around there, asked one of us if we would like to come to the front to say a quick prayer. I was hesitant at first, very nervous, but I built the strength up and volunteered. I prayed and thanked God and was so delighted that I had the courage to do something like that. After that, we served more food and a man came up to me, got more food and said, 

  “You are on the right path, thank you for your prayer.”

   I was ecstatic. I was so relieved and proud of myself for doing that, it brought tears to my eyes. It’s something I have to remind myself, to not be ungrateful and to always be thankful. Knowing I helped give people something everyone needs to live, a basic necessity, something most people take for granted and seeing how happy they were to receive it was an extraordinary feeling I'll never forget.