VanessaAustin

Today was the first day of our volunteer work at Nashville Rescue Mission. When we got there this morning, we started the day by going down to the basement and sorting through men’s shoes for them to pass out to the men at the shelter and the homeless guys. It was rewarding for a guy that either works at the shelter or lives there to thank us for using our spring break to help them. He was thankful that we had used a college “holiday” to come to Nashville, Tennessee and volunteered to help them. It was good to hear that someone appreciated the work that we were doing and for the week that we are going to be doing the rest of the week.

It was frustrating that we didn’t really any interaction with the guys there. They told us that we could go and talk to them while they were eating; however, I felt it was a little too invasive to do something like that when they were eating. I think they should have had someone talk to us about their experiences and how they got to where they were at. It would have been nice to heard from them. It would have beneficial for all of us to hear what it is like and to hear their story. It would have helped motivate us I’m sure. I know it would have helped me.

The guy who supervised us all day today told us all about how they operate. They are fully dependent on donations from the public. They don’t receive any money from the government or federal funding. They rely on people being generous. They have a rehab program for the men. The halfway house is on one of the floors and they are taught religious lessons. They have a few devotions a day and they have to attend a class. Most of the workers that are there now are guys that have come from the rehabilitation program. After they get out, they come back or stay and help the mission. The mission is a great place for these men.