Grade 10 Writing Challenge Top Submission (Mercedes) - End to Hunger
Grade 10:
Mercedes (Age 15)
Applewood Heights Secondary School
Submission Title: End to Hunger
Every little bit helps. Four words that people who volunteer at Daily Bread Food Bank live by. These people prove that in order to make a difference all you need is the ambition for change.
A couple of days ago I ventured on a trip to Daily Bread Food Bank along with several other Applewood Heights students. The experience made me open my eyes and truly become aware of what’s going on in my home province. The surreal emotions that struck me from the exact point of arrival were shocking and overwhelming. At first I felt that apologetic was the way I should feel. Sorry for overlooking homeless people on the streets for years, never finishing the food that was on my plate, and for arguing about my family’s dinner choice with my brother and sister. I now realize that not everyone gets to make those decisions, or even have food available to them at all. I knew that hunger was an issue in a lot of people’s lives; however, I didn’t realize the true number of people that are forced to go to bed without a meal in their stomach. Food has not always been there for everyone. Some people strive to not only feed themselves but their families as well. The courage that these people posses to be able to share their situation with others as well as have the strength to ask for help is unbelievable.
On New Years Eve I was reminded by my family member to make a resolution for the coming year. At first I thought of school and making it a higher priority in my every day life. Than I though of work ethics and goals that I wanted to set and achieve in my work environment. Although these are valid resolutions it only became truly clear to me after my trip to the food bank, that the best resolution that I could possibly make would be to help more people. Now I am proud to tell people my New Years resolution, because I know that it is something that I will achieve to the fullest. I look forward to volunteering at Daily Bread Food Bank in the New Year and helping make a difference on this large Earth that we all call home.
They say that there is no such thing as a super hero and that they only exist in comic books. I now know that, that statement is one hundred percent wrong. The people that I met at Daily Bread Food Bank may not have the ability to fly from buildings attached to small spider webs, or be able to hold the weight of the entire world above their heads, but they do have one of the most useful powers of all. That is the power to help. These people are devoted to making a difference in Ontario. They contribute in so many different ways all for the same cause, to end hunger. And if those aren’t qualities of a true hero, than I don’t know what is.
