Day 7: Service Learning Day at the Soup Kitchen

A big part of this travel course was the service learning portion.  Students identified the health disparities and needs in the Swain county community prior to coming on this trip.  Today, we headed to a local soup kitchen in Waynesville, NC, called the Open Door Ministries.  Take a look at this link to see all the great things this place offers to members of the community and visitors.  

  Open Door Ministries  

The night before, students broke up into groups and tested their math skills.  They were given a specific budget and had to purchase items to donate to the Soup Kitchen.  We are so thankful to the UnityPoint Foundation for the grant provided, because it gave us a budget of $650 to purchase items for this soup kitchen.  The students did a great job selecting non-perishable food items, shirts, socks, and toiletry items.  The grand total was $649.86...$0.14 under budget!

We had a great day at the Soup Kitchen, and it was an eye-opening experience for all of the students.  We were able to help organize pantries, mop floors, make grocery packages, serve lunch, wash dishes, assist with organizing and pricing in the thrift store, clean toilets, and even educate many of the people that came to the kitchen about preventative health care.  The learning opportunities were endless and I know the students will be excited to share with you in their blogs about what they did.

One of the best parts of the day was handing out our donations we brought.  Everyone was so thankful for their clean shirts, socks, and health kits.  These are the opportunities that we love as nurses....when we can care for others and help them in small ways.

 Tomorrow we head home, and the students are ready to see their children, dogs, cats, and family.  We are excited to share with the college and the Foundation about all the amazing learning opportunities we had this week.