Helping Others

Many selfish teenagers think helping other people is a waste of their time or a fruitless way to make the world a better place. However, I believe that helping other people not only benefits the person being helped, but also you.

This past year, on a day where I had tons of homework and other things to do, I went out to volunteer and learned a very valuable life lesson. Feeling stressed, I reluctantly agreed to take the time to deliver a month’s supply of food to three elderly seniors who could not afford to buy their own groceries. Knowing that I needed to complete my work among other things, I felt I should do my work now and deliver the food another day. After deciding to go quickly, we picked up the food and arrived at the apartment of the first two seniors. We placed the two large bags of food on the couple’s small table and they were instantly overjoyed to see us. The woman’s husband was very sick and she expressed her appreciation to us many times for bringing the food. We had a brief conversation and I immediately felt pleased to be helping such kind people. We then went to the next person’s apartment. He was equally as pleased to see us and showed us a few pictures of his family. He was very proud of his children and he enjoyed discussing them with us. I realized that delivering the food to these seniors was definitely worth it. Not only did it give them the food that they couldn’t afford, but it also gave me the opportunity to make someone’s day. These elderly people have very quiet days and they really enjoy the company.

I believe that anybody who needs help should receive it. Helping is a critical part of giving and receiving. I believe you must give in order to receive. For me, giving these needy seniors food and my time helps me become a better person. This I believe.