I've been trying to send money donations to the Philippine Red Cross since Yolanda struck the Visayan region but for some reason, my donation won't come through so I started looking for other ways to help. Most organizations wanted for volunteers to call beforehand to register before they get to help which might be a good idea for them but I wanted to get down to business right away so I looked some more.
When Jim Paredes posted that Ateneo was looking for volunteers to repack relief goods and that they allowed walk-in volunteers, I phoned a very good friend and asked him to accompany me to "enemy" grounds yesterday.
We bought several boxes of mineral water that served as our donation. We started working with the rice group, filling plastic after plastic with rice. We were then tasked to carry these plastics from one place to another (which would've been the death of me if I haven't been working out my arms for the past 2 months). My friend was called to help load the goods to the trucks and buses - all guys were needed - while I helped with transferring bars of soap. I wanted to take pictures but when we started with the tasks, we barely had time to even just breathe. Twas all good, though, since I got to focus on the tasks at hand and became more productive than I would've been if I had my phone with me.
We left Ateneo with huge grins on our faces. The feeling of knowing we've helped someone even in our own little way gave us a high that no drug can ever give. Ended the experience with a prayer of thanksgiving (yes, I actually prayed) that we had the capacity - and the chance - to help.
Side note: I would've loved to study in a school with such huge grounds as the Ateneo. Sobrang nakakakalma.
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