Maslow's Army, September 15

"Helping with Maslow's Army was a very unique event for me. Many of the service events I do help the community indirectly. For example, I have helped an organization raise money for feeding the homeless and I have helped a parish with their festival to help raise money. Directly being there for the community really broadened my view of the world and specifically Cincinnati. It helped me appreciate how lucky I am to have a nice home and education. I realized that doing these small acts of kindness can be very important to the community, helping people with their stressful lives, constantly worrying about where their next meal is coming from."

-Tommy Aug

"Coming into this event, I really didn't know what to expect. I knew we were handing out food to the homeless, so I thought there may be about a hundred people or so who would show up. When I saw hundreds and hundreds of homeless lined up to get possibly their only good food for the next week, I was astounded. This event made me realize how blessed I am to be in the situation I am in, but also how big of a problem homelessness is in our city. I was oblivious to the fact that it is such a huge problem, and it saddens me to think that most of these people could do nothing to prevent it from happening to them, whether it be because of a disability, addiction, or other circumstances. So, I am glad that I was able to help out some of these people in unfortunate situations on Sunday, but I am also determined to continue to try to improve the homelessness crisis as best I can and look forward to being able to contribute more to the cause in the future."

-Evan Vollmer

"After the first 20-30 minutes during our Maslow's Army event, I got the chills because of the negative aura in which we were helping. Most of our service opportunities give off a positive feel, but this was especially disheartening to see the quality of life for a small portion of downtown Cincinnati. It was just sad knowing that the most of the people there would be enjoying their only good meal of the week that day, and I really thought about this right as I left. While both my service group and the homeless came together for a couple hours, we both took our separate ways afterwards, but only one of us got to go home. The day was rewarding altogether, but as I reflect on it, it most substantially provided me extra motivation to help the homeless and minority groups in the future."

-Aidan Corey

"Volunteering for Maslow's Army ended up being one of my favorite volunteer activities yet. At first, I really did not want to be there because it was a Sunday morning and the Bengals were on TV, but I ended up loving it as I was able to see smiles on all of the faces of the people were feeding. The best part of the volunteering for me was at the very end when this guy came up to me several different times to thank me for an extra water. This made me realize how important my presence was to those people."

-William Doepker

"Serving at Maslow’s Army was an afternoon well spent for me. Even though it was only two hours, our work was fulfilling and fun. Being able to directly help out the people that live in my city was a cool experience, and I enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the place. I was able to talk to some of the people there and hear some of their stories about addiction and poverty, and it really put things in perspective for me. The work was not tough, but the effect was that these people were able to enjoy a good meal and pick up essentials such as clothes and toiletries for the week. I encourage others to partake in this service, usually taking place every Sunday from 12-2."

-Ryan Tressler