Acorns in the Big Apple, Monday

Today our service work began!  We arrived at YSOP a bit late, at 8 am for a New York bagel breakfast and an orientation about homelessness and hunger in the Big Apple.  We learned that YSOP is dedicated to partnering young people and particular agencies in the fight against and the problems of homelessness which have doubled in the five boroughs over the past decade.

After receiving our T-Shirts, which are to be our uniforms for the week, each of the five groups received its marching orders and headed to various locations for the day.  Our work varied from soup kitchens to food pantries to a community garden on the outskirts of Brooklyn.

We debriefed back at YSOP in the afternoon much more comfortable with the NYC subway system, now that we are all 36 hour veterans, and very tired!  Each group shared their various experiences and were able to see that models of compassionate outreach come in many shapes and sizes.

The trip to the harbor was a bit of a marathon and the comfy seats and cool breeze of New York Harbor was well earned.  We enjoyed a 90 minute sunset cruise around the southern tip of Manhattan and got up-close views of Downtown, including the new World Trade Center site, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and the Brooklyn Bridge.

After having a tough time falling asleep last night due to anticipation of a great adventure, our group  is tired and weary from the day and ready to rest for a big tomorrow.