07 Aug Guest Writer Spotlight: A Day at a Time

by Anonymous Guest Writer, 15-year-old, South Philadelphia

Prepared meals being donated to families from South Philly Barbacoa.

The past few months have been full of challenges and changes. The normal is abnormal. As an only child, staying at home hasn’t been so easy. I’m social, community-oriented, and enjoy sports, so at first, finding ways to stay active at home wasn’t easy. For a while, I entertained myself with exercises trending all over social media, which weren’t bad at all. Now, I volunteer in South Philly, with organizations and alliances like the World Central Kitchen. Three to four days a week I volunteer to help supply food to families who lost their income due to COVID, like mine. My family has been severely affected by the pandemic, but thankfully we’ve been able to find assistance. For example, I’ve applied to the Philadelphia Rental assistance program, which I learned about from helping other families navigate through their own online applications. Most importantly my family, along with others, are taking it a day at a time, knowing we’re not alone. Every day I get to learn a little more about other people’s stories and fit in with the community even more. I get to see that I’m not the only child with a family renting an apartment and that I can do a lot to help others feel less stressed out or lonely. Besides allowing me to feel the sun outside, volunteering makes me come home with a smile. Knowing I’ve taken some stress away from families makes my volunteer work the best experiences I’ve had during the pandemic.

The pandemic isn’t the only thing that’s been impacting the world. When the protests broke out, I felt a mix of emotions and have been keeping track of the protests ever since. Thankfully I’ve gone to schools that have taught me amazingly well that society is far from perfect and that it is not enough to just be good, we have to be better. I believe it is time to raise our voices against inequalities. As a member of the Latinx community, I’ve had the chance to experience how imperfect our society is. It is incredible to see that finally all over the world people are taking action and standing up for what’s right. It’s mind-blowing to think I’m living in a historical moment. The world has gotten so used to sweeping it all under a rug that there are people that believe society has been working impeccably, which is exactly why the protests have to be loud to be heard. These couple of months have been different, but little by little they are teaching us to be better.

If you want to learn more about about the hunger relief efforts in South Philly, check out this Philadelphia Inquirer article by Craig LaBan.