Serena Rodriguez- Blessings Under the Bridge

Hi everyone, welcome to the start of the Setons class of 19-20 blog takeover! This year we will continue to post blog posts about the service and experiences we get to do through Setons. My name is Serena Rodriguez and I serve on Thursdays at Blessings Under the Bridge. It has been two weeks into our semester long weekly service, and I am already having so much fun. These past two weeks my group and I tackled a pile of bags full of different types of clothes and resources that have been donated by the people in the Spokane Community. We were tasked with sorting through the clothing and organizing it into piles such as: women’s jackets/coats, men’s jackets/coats, men’s pants, and so on.  Since the weather is already getting colder this year the main thing that we were looking for were puffy coats, thick jackets, warm thermals, and pants. Finding socks and hats in good condition are also a plus. It is cool to see how many donation bags came from the community, the items that were bought in bulk from thrift stores, and handmade items like hats and blankets. There were also bags full of different children clothes where we found items like cute hats and onesies. This was really eye opening because it helped us realize that not only are men and woman suffering from homelessness, but children as well. Being able to serve with this organization gives us insight into the Spokane community and insight into how much work, planning, and organization goes on behind the scenes to provide support. The service that we provide on Thursday’s is necessary to prepare for the work that is done on the Wednesday of the following week, when Blessings Under the Bridge actually go out and provide the food and clothes that have been prepared to the homelessness community.

Since this has only been two weeks of weekly service, I am excited to see what else is to come as I continue to serve throughout the year. I am also having so much fun growing closer to the 29 other girls that have become my sisters and I cannot wait to continue these bonds through our up and coming retreat as well as various social events throughout the year!