February Homeless Expo

Victoria Taylor is a senior at Cambridge.

2/23/19

On February 2, 2019 I had the opportunity to participate in the Homeless Expo at the Dallas Convention Center not as a volunteer, but as a vendor. To be a vendor you must be an organization, and my Girl Scout Gold Award Project is an organization I started called Sisters Encouraging and Embracing Diversity (S.E.E.D). My mom, my church, and I prepared over 120 pre-packed hygiene bags for the homeless. These bags contained shampoo, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, female hygiene products, combs, etc. This was an incredible experience because there were so many people who needed these things; the homeless varied in age, gender, and ethnicity. Some men grabbed themselves a bag and one for their wife or friend, showing selflessness. They were offered extra items and some gently turned down the offer because other people needed them. They were allowed to take as much as they wanted or needed but they decided to be humble and considerate of others.

One of the sweetest moments for me was when I saw a homeless woman who was deaf, and a translator brought me to her so I could give her a bag. She looked at me and opened her bag that had her other belongings and I placed one of our hygiene bags in with her other things. She looked at me again and said “thank you” in sign language.

Seeing the sincerity in people’s eyes spoke volumes to me; I felt so wonderful providing these products for them. I am grateful for my somewhat privileged life; because God has blessed me with more than I need, I could go out and give to those that don’t have these simple/basic necessities. This event as a whole blessed me and hopefully God used me to bless others.