I’M VERY EXCITED!!

Yesterday I went to the New York Cares Volunteer Orientation. After I had asked around, none of my friends wanted to do volunteer with me. So, finally, I did it unilaterally.

I used to volunteer all the time when I was in Thailand. Mostly, I loved to volunteer for children, poor people and elderly. I always want to volunteer here but I always wait for friends to go with me. But this time, what the heck, I really want to do it. I love volunteering. Plus, this time is like a crossroad for me that I want to pull myself from my old habit, old life style and wasting my time on doing unproductive things.

Normally, I donate around 5-10% of my income to the charities every month. I always donate to City Harvest, Doctors Without Borders, Care, City Wheel on Meals, Nature Conservancy and UNICEF. However, I think I should put my own labor and effort as well in stead of just money.

I have signed up for the whole month of June already. This coming week, I will prepare and serve a restaurant-style breakfast and distribute food bags to poor people at Father's Heart Ministries on the Lower East Side. This is challenging for me because I don’t get used to getting up early, but we will see if I will do my job perfectly.

Then the week after I will prepare meals for people living with HIV/AIDS and then distribute it to 51 neighborhood centers. The week after that week I will serve hot meals to over 700 homeless men and women at the soup kitchen in Chelsea. The last volunteer in June, I will server refreshments and appetizers during a Summer BBQ at Common Ground/Times Square Hotel, a single resident occupancy hotel in Midtown that provides supportive services to its low-income tenants.

Now I am signing up for the City Meals on Wheels as well. This project is to deliver hot meals to those elderly who cannot help themselves and have conversations with them.

I talked to my mom about it. She totally encouraged me to do it!! YOU ROCK, MOM!!

I am hungry, but I know there are more people who are hungrier than me.
I am suffering but I know there are people out there who are more suffering than me.
I want love but I know there are more people who need it too.
I want happiness but I know the best way to make myself happy is to make other happy.

Please help whenever you can, at least we know that we will leave this world better than when we came.

Tae Athikomvittaya