Food Program

Apparently, I am asked to write a Reflection of Food Program, a project initiated by the Initiatives of Change Association. I think I wanna share with you guys. Enjoy!

My Reflection on ICA’s Food Program

“Once, when I handed an old lady a box of dinner, I surprisingly received a water melon in return. Compare to what I had given her, that water melon cost more. I could not accept it from that seem-to-be poor elderly. However, she insisted that I accepted her offer. She told me that she had nothing else to express her gratitude for my contribution. This small watermelon was all she left. It was at that time that my tear fell down and I gratefully accepted her offer.” This is a quote of a volunteer who has been participating in the Food Program of ICA. It is also the very first thing I heard about the program. It is not until I fully join ICA’s Food program did I realize that Food Program of ICA is more than just the distribution of food to poor Phnom Penh dwellers.

At first glance, Food Program seems like a simple project in which volunteers prepare and distribute dinner to poor people. But the real purpose is simply beyond that. In fact, I believe that Food Program is, more or less, a means for Cambodian youths to interact with the poor. By handing out boxes of meals and having a small chit-chat, Volunteers provide some kind of encouragement, care, and concern to the poor. Thus, those who have received our contributed meals have hope for life, the hope that in spite of their poverty there is still someone in somewhere care for them and urge them to live on, to work harder toward their dream of happiness.

Furthermore, not only does Food Program benefit the poor, but also the contributors. Since participating in the program, I somehow feel that my personality has improved considerably. For one thing, my first time in ICA’s Food Program was also the first time I had self-satisfaction in my life. Regardless of how small I had contributed, I knew that I was becoming an asset to my community. I believed that I was on my way to becoming a useful citizen or teenager of Cambodia. This has encouraged me to go on with my work, my contribution to community development. As I go on with ICA’s Food Program, I have also come to appreciate the custom of sharing, the one that has been with Cambodian people since ancient time. Regardless how much or in whatever form volunteers contribute to the project, we are working toward a common goal. Each and every effort from each and every of us is small, but when we share the tiny support we have with one another, our seem-to-be-small donation has become a real big one. Through this, I have learnt that sharing is a way to success.

Every month, I always see the smile of volunteers when preparing meals to be contribute. All of them believe that they are on the right tract toward self and community development. Not once have I sensed the cheerful and fun atmosphere throughout the whole activity. From Food Program, I have learnt to value and recognize the devotion to community service and the satisfaction I gain in return. Sooner or later I believe that more people would apprehend Food Program and they would fully cherish the program as I and other volunteers do.