This was our last day of volunteering. It was our favorite day! We helped Don at the Father McKenna Center with breakfast and lunch and everything in between. There was a lot going on in the kitchen. We made salmon patties, french fries, coleslaw and cookies for the guys.

Jacob was on shower patrol, he got to sign the guys into the shower and then cleaned the showers afterwords.

After we were done volunteering we went to the National Zoo! It was very fun seeing all the animals. The groups favorites were the Pandas, Elephant, and the Lion.

We ended the day with seeing Ford’s Theater, doing some souvenir shopping, and having one last family dinner!

Overall, the trip has provided us with our own stories and experiences that we will have for a lifetime and can grow from. I am happy to have shared such a life changing experience with such an awesome group of people that always kept me laughing and changeling myself through the week. We can’t wait to share our stories with all of our readers, family, and friends!!

Thursday was the first day we volunteered at the Father Mckenna Center. It was a new and fun experience from what we had done the previous days. We helped prepare and serve breakfast and lunch for the guys. We also helped do various tasks around the center. While serving we had the opportunity to get to know the guys that are part of the Father McKenna program. It was awesome to get to know the guys and where they came from.

We had a little time before helping with the Hypothermia meal, which I will talk about later, some of us went to the Archives, others went to the Arlington Cemetery, and the rest walked around and went to shops.

At the Archives they were able to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. They also got to see signatures from historical figures such as Hitler, John Wilkesbooth, and numerous others.

Arlington was a great experience. They were able to see Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown, JFK’s grave, and the internal flame.

After we got back we helped with the Hypothermia Meal. This is a program that starts in November and ends March 31st. Men apply to the program to have somewhere to stay during the winter. There are about 8 men that are allowed into the program.

We cooked the meal and served it like we did with breakfast. We had another chance to talk to the guys.

I did not have time to blog about yesterday because we were having too much fun but, I will tell you now!!

Yesterday we went to the capitol and got a tour!! And we also got a tour of the Library of Congress. I also managed to get up close and personal with Abraham Lincoln!! 😉

At night we helped Gonzaga and DePaul serve the peace meal for around 200 men, women and families from all over Washington D.C. It was a great experience! We got the opportunity to really get to know some of the people we were serving by talking and eating with them throughout the night. So many of the stories made us realize not only how widespread the issues of hunger and homelessness are, but how easily any single person might be affected by these issues.

After the meal, our group reflected on the experience and talked about how it has impacted our lives and shaped our stories moving forward. Overall, today was a great day – we learned so much about America’s story, our own personal stories and the stories of those around us who’s stories do not get heard often enough.

Today we volunteered at the Capital Area Food Bank! We helped them organize food into categories and then boxed it! It was really fun and a great experience!

It showed us that without the food bank some of the resources would not be available for families.

After volunteering some of us went to the National Air and Space Museum!>

This is the group at the beginning of the day….

And this is the group on the way home….

It was a very long day!

Yesterday was a pretty long day! We started off in the morning doing street outreach with Capital Hill Group Ministry. We had backpacks full of food and hot chocolate and walked along the streets to find people that needed assistance.

Then in the afternoon we worked with Martha’s Table at an elementary school. This was where people could get healthy food for their families. We helped set up and helped the families get what they needed.

Here are all the pictures from seeing the monuments today!!

The Holocaust Museum

And finally he is all tuckered out from the day!

On our second day we are going to the Holocaust Museum and seeing he monuments!

While Abby and Jacob are twinning!!

On our second day we are going to the Holocaust Museum and seeing he monuments!

While Abby and Jacob are twinning!!

Heres a video of us taking off!!

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