As the cold penetrated my jacket, a shiver went down my spine. I glanced around the dimly lit shelter crowded with people shuffling into a line. The line inched toward a table where a few of my friends were handing out food. I stood back a ways collecting their trash in a large black bag. Every so often, someone would come up and ask the same question. Their tired eyes would look into mine and ask somewhat frantically, “When will the sleeping bags be handed out?” I would tell them soon, even though I had no idea and they would nod and walk off. Finally, the much-anticipated bags were handed out. The line again formed as the 70 or so sleeping bags were distributed one at a time. It was hard to wrap my brain around the fact that many of these people had nowhere to go after we finished. My seemingly small campus housing now seemed like a palace compared to the place they called home. After we had concluded, one man remained behind. He came up to our table and thanked us sincerely for our help.
Service to our community and our campus is a huge part of what CNU is about. Opportunities to serve are as easy to find as columns around here. Every organization I have been a part of, whether a sports team or a club, has conducted service projects outside of campus. Serving the city’s homeless, volunteering at some of the local elementary schools and donating to canned food drives are a couple of the projects students can regularly be a part of. Although service hours are often required for certain scholarships and programs, the thanks of a person you have truly helped is always enough reward.
