Day Four - The Last Day

Sunday consisted of a final wrap up, hugs, and promises of future outings, both in the form of service and friendship. Part of final reflection ended with our wonderful participants sharing their favorite moment from the trip!

Throughout the week I have seen the influence that our team has marked on one another’s lives. Without the members of the AFB team I would not have embraced the experience as much as I did. I can see the love that we share for both passion and one another as we come out of the circle doing the Taps activity. I have instilled a want to impact people more because I am aware of the intertwined circle that the city of Knoxville has, even though it is so large. -Ana Casey

This fall break trip has really shed a lot of light on how I now view people in need. I used to think that being homeless was never going to happen to me, but now I know that it could happen to anyone. This trip has taught me how you should never look down or judge, just help and try to make a difference in their lives because in a few years that could possible be me. It was such an eye opening experience; I’m never going to forget it and all of the wonderful people I was fortunate enough to meet.

As I sit here in the Andy Holt building wrapping up my AFB trip I am overcome with a wide variety of emotions. On one hand I am smelly, feel gross, and am so tired I could pass out right here. On the other hand I am overcome with this sense of peace and pride at all that my amazing team has done and accomplished this week. We have spent the morning reaffirming each other through our team building games and through the sharing of memories and laughs. I don’t ever want to lose this feeling, it’s the first of what I am sure will be many times that I will say I am so proud to be a Tennessee Vol!

-Elizabeth Hamilton

I am so overjoyed that I was lucky enough to be able to join this journey with this particular group of people. I have never been around so many positive minded, free spirited, and genuine people before. This trip has shed a lot of light on the needs of my new home, Knoxville, and I cannot wait to begin volunteering more here and digging deeper into my community. I have made friends that will last a lifetime and experiences that I will never forget.

-Emily Moore

Wow, this break has been so eye-opening and touching. One thing I really found interesting was how so many organizations we visited made the peoples’ pride and dignity a priority. The food banks were set up like a grocery store so they could go “shopping”, the residents at KARM got their own beds, etc. It was so touching to see these organizations strive to provide for their physical needs while maintaining that sense of pride and self-respect. This trip illustrated the importance of viewing each person as an equal, withholding judgment, and serving with selflessness and love. - Savannah DeFreese

I can honestly say that I’ve loved every minute of this trip. One of the biggest lessons I can take away from my Fall Break is how service involves more than the “hands-on” work of packing boxes and sorting cans. It is extremely important for us to understand why we are doing this kind of work and how the problem became as prevalent as it is today. If we don’t work towards thinking outside of the box and coming up with long-term improvements concerning the various issues in our community that go even beyond hunger and homelessness, our service efforts will not be nearly as beneficial and significant as they should be. -Lesley Schiffman

I am so lucky to have been able to go and experience this trip and work with my team. I have learned so much and it really is an eyeopener for me. Every work site we went to had great directors and great people who they served. Great trip! Great time! - Brittany Mason

This trip taught me that there are so many different ways to serve. We don’t have to be up and front to make a difference. Also, serving in our city made me realize the great need that need to be met here. It encouraged me to continue to volunteer in Knoxville! - Amber Tran

This trip taught me that the most simplest tasks can affect the lives of many directly or indirectly from painting the walls to uplift the moods of the individuals in need or actually being in the front-line assisting them. It was a great trip and i would definitely do it all over again!! Nothing could have made this trip better! -Shaina Huda

Day Three

On the last day of our trip, the Hometown Heroes had the opportunity to serve with the Free Food Market and Second Harvest Food Bank. Participants had a wonderful time and as this was the last day of service, members reflected on which community partner they enjoyed most!

I have thoroughly enjoyed every site we have visited this week, but my favorite location was the Knoxville Free Food Market. So many of our service projects were behind-the-scenes, but KFFM was “front line” work and a great opportunity to interact with the people we were serving. At KFFM I helped the guests bag their groceries and carry them to their car. My heart was touched in such a profound way when these people would give me a warm smile, a heartfelt hug, and a giant “thank you” in return for something so simple as carrying a grocery bag for them.

- Savannah DeFreese

I really enjoyed each and every site we visited this week, but I think my favorite was KARM. It was really cool to do something that made a visual difference, like painting. I also personally liked that it was behind the scenes. It felt a little more like we were just doing something because it would make people feel comfortable without them knowing who did it or how it got done. It felt good to see how much better the place looked when we left.

-Elizabeth Hamilton

I have really enjoyed this entire trip and every site we visited, but my favorite location was the Knoxville Free Food Market. Knowing that some of our other projects were a part of the behind the scenes and the organizations were linked to one another put everything in perspective and with the food market we worked with people and interacted with them directly and I really enjoyed that. Getting to know the people and learning about them made everything more personal and knowing how much they appreciated our work was special to me. - Brittany Mason

The service site which impacted me the most was most definitely Second Harvest Food Bank. The reason for this being my favorite is because the majority of the sites that we had previously served at circled back to this one. Food that was supplied by the food ministries was bought by Second Harvest and we could see the impact which the cereal we bagged was actually marking on people’s lives. Seeing the joy that our presence was actually putting in their lives made me want to be more thankful for the things which I may take for granted every single day. -Ana Casey

This Alternative Fall Break trip has been absoluting amazing and definitely an eye opening experience to this social issue that is right next door. My favorite service site on this trip was the Fountain City Food Ministry. I found it very interesting how many different churches came together to  help out with giving food and clothing to those in need. I especially respected they way the did this by letting the people shop in their facilities like a boutique, along with giving them a bag of food. The women volunteering there shared many touching stories that reminded me as to why I volunteer for such an important cause. - Sydney Stewart

I gained so much incredible insight from all of the projects we participated in so far, but my favorite place was the Knoxville Free Food Market this morning. Today was the first time I was able to interact with the people who were receiving the food being passed out. The amount of optimism and overwhelming sense of community was extremely eye-opening. No matter what they looked like, where they came from, or what obstacles they have been through, every single person waiting in that line this morning shared the same respect and care for one another. Overall, I thought the sense of unity this morning made the Free Food Market stand out from every other project we have done over Fall Break. -Lesley Schiffman

Each service site has been an eye-opener, showing me the different steps in the process of helping the homeless. We have been in warehouses where most of the behind-the-scenes work happens, and we have also worked at food banks where you have more direct contact with the people we are helping. To me, I loved working at Second Harvest. After doing our volunteer work, we were shown the entire warehouse. Hearing that most of the packaged foods cannot leave the building until volunteers like us have bagged them made me realize how significant our part can be. I was touched and found that being “behind the scenes” can have as much impact as being at the “frontline.” - Amber Tran

Although we visited varying service sites that portrayed different aspects of how they function, my favorite site was volunteering at the Free Food Market. This service site was interesting, to me, since we were able to directly interact with the individuals in need. While conversing with them, I learned about their backgrounds and other information about them. Another aspect that  intrigued me was discovering that not everyone has to be in a specific form or fashion in order to be in need which was an eye-opener. Furthermore, this service site seemed to be the most unified since we got to interact with the “customers” with respect and dignity rather than in a condescending manner. I was completely touched by the appreciation the customers gave us for doing these simple tasks which helped us show the impact we were instantly having upon them. -- Shaina Huda

Day Two

Hometown Heroes

It all started off as a “spark” at the Salvation Army Warehouse, on a frigid Friday morning. When we say spark, we mean it, because the electrifying Seth Zanoni, almost electrocuted me, Sedarius, better known as Josh, Crenshaw. We lifted, we hustled, and we flowed throughout a warehouse checking electronics that would be purchased by those in the community that seek to support the homeless population. The electrifying experience did not stop at the Salvation Army, but continued across the street to KARM, an impactful ministry that strives to serve basic needs for the homeless community.  

   Here we did more behind the scenes work and inundated the walls of KARM with fresh paint and a new shine, that would leave impact from the numerous people that utilize KARM’s facilities. We both got to see how the little things go so far and are extremely appreciated by those in need. With hard work done, great times shared, and new bonds formed, we thought the entire day was our favorite part. Not only was our service enjoyable, but impactful in our understanding of the blessings we have and will share with others.

                                               Dual Post by Josh Oliver (Sedarius Crenshaw)and Seth Zanoni

Today I helped clean and dust at KARM female dorm area. The spacious brick room was beautiful and comfortable. The 103 beds were perfectly lined up and all had comfy pillows and blankets. I loved seeing these great facilities and was so happy to be a part in the process of upkeeping this clean safe place for people in need. - Savannah DeFreese

Today was a great day of service for the Hometown Heroes!  My favorite moment from the day was definitely the service at KARM.  The name of our project was called KARM Shine, which basically called for us improving the facility.  I got the opportunity help paint the area around the Men’s shelter with my fellow team members.  It was not only a bonding experience for all of us, but it was amazing being able to see the end product of our hard work through newly fresh painted walls.  Overall our Day 2 was a great day of bonding and service.  We really got to dig deeper into our theme of Hunger and Homelessness with our two service sites, KARM and Salvation Army and reflecting upon them. -Nidhi Shah (Alternative Fall Break Co-Leader)

Day One

Our Alternative Fall Break adventure began on a crisp early autumn morning. After getting the whole crew together we loaded up for the long haul to the lovely Presbyterian church about five miles from campus. We quickly put away our things and packed a quick lunch. Our first stop was the Beardsley Community Farm where we worked to make the farm look better on the outside, so that food can be transported to inside the areas of Knoxville that needed it most. We worked through the cold and rain and together shared many laughs and good memories.

Then, we headed to Fountain City to work hands on with volunteers to bring a little bit of hope to some of the needy in Knoxville. With them we learned how truly blessed we are and how many things we take for granted everyday. Our first day concluded with a delicious meal and some true bonding that really made this team seem more like a family.

- Elizabeth Hamilton

Favorite moments from some of the team members:

One of my favorite parts of our first day was gardening at Beardsley Community Farm. I love how even simply weeding a garden is so vital in the process of producing food for a community.  Little things do matter!  - Savannah DeFreese

My favorite part of the first day was listening to all of the great stories from other volunteers. The way they lit up whenever they talked about helping other people really hit home. – Jessica Bertram

I loved interacting and connecting with both my team members and the other volunteers in the Knoxville community. I have already gained a deeper sense of the poverty issues in the area and how we can be true advocates of change and improvement. –Lesley Schiffman.

I loved how much I learned about Knoxville’s community and how every organization is linked somehow that we’ve worked with. I loved talking to the directors and seeing their passion about their cause and what their affect on the community and how they believe that we can really make a difference by just thinking about certain things in our daily routine. – Brittany Mason

While you are volunteering, you might be doing the simplest tasks, but after all the work is done, you take a step back and look at all you have done. The smallest things make the hugest difference. At Beardsley Farm, something as simple as weeding made a large impact on the farm’s appearance. Serving the community one step at a time is all it takes. – Amber Tran

My favorite part of today was realizing the most trivial action can proliferate and create such a difference in someone’s life.  At the food pantry, we were informed of many stories that had a profound effect on a person’s life.  There was a story in which a girl had asked for tweezers and how buying such a simple item gave  the young girl instant happiness. This experience also showed me how we take many things in our daily lives for granted because they are around us the majority of the times that we can forget the value of these items. – Shaina Hud

After reflecting on my first day of this break, I can see all of the hard work and dedication that our team has put into the service we have done in the short amount of time that we have been together. This excites me to see what we are able to achieve over the next several days, as well as the accomplishments we may have after this week. As I spoke to the director at the food bank, he has inspired me to not only reach out to others, but also to do it because I want to improve the community, not because others may want me to do so. –Ana Casey

The Adventure Begins!

To many UT students, Knoxville is a home away from home. Often times people desire to do service and help in other locations that they forget the problems that exist in their own community.  Knoxville has been pegged as a “top ten growing city,” but despite this classification Knoxville has a large homeless populations. 

This knowledge led us my partner Nidhi Shah and I to choose Knoxville, TN as our location for our Alternative Fall Break Trip. We chose the trip theme of "Hunger and Homelessness" because we were passionate about those social issues and they exist in abundance in Knoxville. Our mission is to act as servant leaders to provide an eye-opening and interactive experience for a diverse group of students and to lead them to understand and become knowledgeable about underlying issues of hunger and homelessness in their own “backyard” or community.  

After planning trip logistics, we had to choose a group of passionate students committed to our chosen social issues. The 12 students we selected are everything we could have hoped for--positive, passionate, and dedicated to serving their local community. Just look at their smiling faces after our pre-trip dinner at Tupelo Honey!

Tomorrow, at 7:30 am, the "Hometown Heroes" will take on Knoxville! Stay tuned for updates throughout the break from trip participants themselves!

Laura Galloway

First AFB post!