Journey from Volunteer to Simply the Basics Ambassador
Hi! My name is Lindsay Lee and I am a junior at Saint Ignatius! I am a part of my school’s orchestra as the percussion/piano player, and I enjoy playing soccer. Some of my hobbies include making jewelry, listening to music, volunteering, and fashion. In school, my interests include writing and psychology. I have a deep passion for women’s rights, whether that be for childcare, reproductive freedom, and access to hygiene and menstrual care.
Getting Started as a Volunteer with Simply the Basics
I would not have been introduced to Simply the Basics if not for my mom; we both wanted to find an organization that we could volunteer at together, that focused on providing specific needs for women who are experiencing homelessness or low income. Simply the Basics interested us because of their menstrual care program, which distributes to menstrual care packages to nonprofits. For people who experience low income or homelessness, it is often difficult to prioritize menstrual products over food and other needs. The increasing shortage of these products directly impacts someone with a lack of accessibility to menstrual products, which is why providing these kits to nonprofits saves time and resources. Simply the Basics is different from most organizations we found because it not only is the first large-scale hygiene bank in the nation, but specializes in directly providing people with the basic resources they need, which allows them to feel dignity.
One of the best things about Simply the Basics is the joy of sharing my volunteer experience with family and friends. When I began volunteering, it became a bonding opportunity for my mom and I, that allowed us to spend time with each other while doing something we both loved! I also introduced my younger sister to Simply the Basics, and she enjoyed it so much that she wanted to go back the next time. I think part of the reason why volunteering is so fulfilling is because at the very end of each open house, we are able to see how many kits we’ve made, and how many people we are helping. To be able to recognize that each volunteer’s efforts combine into the end product of hundreds of hygiene kits during each Open House is so fulfilling.
Something that I have learned most from my experience with aiding people who are experiencing homelessness and low income is how my perspective and empathy of the struggles, lifestyle, and goals of these people was influenced by my growing involvement within this community. For example, ever since I have started volunteering with Simply the Basics, I have learned more about the lives of people experiencing homelessness rather than merely observing this community from a bystander perspective. During Open Houses, Brittany would describe barriers that people experiencing homelessness faced that I would never have considered myself. This made me realize the ignorance for people experiencing low income and homelessness that is institutionalized in our society. In some ways, the housed community abandons the unhoused community by becoming passive to the struggles and disadvantages that these people face. Because of this, spreading awareness about the issues that people experiencing homelessness face is something we should all take part of, and something that I have taken away from my experience.
The thing that brings me the most joy about volunteering with Simply the Basics is allowing myself to be inspired by my fellow members and leaders of this community. On my first day volunteering at Simply the Basics, I met so many amazing people who welcomed my mom and I with open arms. I felt that they genuinely cared about getting to know me, my interests, and why I decided to volunteer at Simply the Basics. Since the majority of the other volunteers are seniors, their experience and wisdom regarding homelessness-based issues, and how to find individual ways to help the unhoused community, continues to inspire me. As I attended more Open Houses, it made me happy to see the same people who came back to volunteer each week. This is a testament to how fulfilling it is to volunteer in a community of people who support the same causes.
becoming an approved Simply the Basics Ambassador
As a newly approved Simply the Basics Ambassador who is also a student, I hope to use my connection to my peers and school community in order to share the message and encourage others to partake in Simply the Basics events. I am greatly looking forward to participating in, and eventually leading some of the activities that Simply the Basics has to offer, particularly open houses, donations, and hygiene drives. Spreading awareness of issues such as hygiene inaccessibility, funding for affordable housing, income inequality, and homelessness is incredibly important to me, especially since I have seen people in my close community struggle with these issues. In school, I am learning about how climate change affects vulnerable communities the most, such as unhoused or low income individuals, because of their proximity to the outside environment and lack of resources to combat natural disasters. Therefore, the disaster relief program is a great opportunity that Simply the Basics has created for victims of natural disasters who were unable to find shelter and basic resources. I think that the most important part of being an Ambassador is reaching out to those who show interest in supporting people experiencing homelessness, or who want to help others that are struggling with issues that they can relate to. I speak for many other volunteers when I say that empathy is the main motivation for many humans when it comes to helping out other humans, and it is important that we address these issues with a lens of compassion.
The concept of Simply the Basics was founded off of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, which I also connected to a lesson that my Ethic Studies teacher taught once. I remember writing down that “In order for a person’s motivation to reach their full potential, as shown in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, their basic needs must be met before self-actualization can be achieved.” Self-actualization being at the top of the pyramid, with physiological needs at the bottom shows just how important our most basic needs are to the development of our whole person. To know that the organization that I am a part of understands and strives to help underserved people makes me incredibly proud! Again, my Simply the Basics experience would not have been so inspiring if not for the community of people that make the Open Houses so much livelier. Brittany and the rest of the team of volunteers constantly demonstrate immense selflessness and encourage me to put my best foot forward.
Written by Lindsay Lee, Simply the Basics Ambassador
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