The highlight of Amy Chen’s spring break was chatting up a Morgan Freeman look-a-like in a homeless shelter in Salinas. Chen was convinced he was the famous actor, conducting undercover work for a new role, until she sat down with him.
She learned his name was Vernon, and the two began talking about the pros and cons of no-pulp orange juice. She said the conversation flowed so easily that she forgot she was a volunteer serving him lunch.
Chen, a third-year sociology student, was one of 22 people to take part in UCLA’s third Alternative Spring Break.
Alternative Spring Break is a nationwide program that helps college students take part in weeklong volunteer activities. This year, UCLA students volunteered at four different sites: Dorothy’s Place in Salinas, Best Friends Animal Society in Utah, New City Parish in Los Angeles and Death Valley National Park.
Undergraduate Students Association Council Community Service Commissioner Jamie Yao said she liked that ASB not only took the time to traditionally debrief and inform students about important issues but also allowed them to interact in the areas that needed help.
Last year, Yao volunteered at Dorothy’s Place, the same homeless shelter that housed Chen and four other peers this year.
Dorothy’s Place provides food and shelter for more than 130 people in a day, according to Chen. It is located in a city with an estimated homeless population of 1,000, according to a 2005 Census.
Yao said she realized the project’s importance last year when she was setting up mattresses on the bottom floor of Dorothy’s Place.
When she finished laying them out, she went outside and noted how cold it was. She said she truly recognized the necessity of clean, dry shelter.
Yao said she hoped to instill this same sense of awareness within the new volunteers of ASB.
“At first new volunteers were unsure of what they were doing, but then they got to open up and have normal conversations with these people,” said Clare Bajamundi, a fourth-year microbiology student and Dorothy’s Place volunteer.
Bajamundi said ASB was more impactful than other volunteer experiences with homeless people because she realized how wasteful society can be and how much she takes for granted.
According to Bajamundi, the meals served to those at Dorothy’s Place are often made with expired, or soon-to-be expired, products.
“They still use and plan delicious meals with things other people would consider trash,” Bajamundi said. She learned that yogurt stays edible for nearly a month after its expiration date, and stale bread can still be used in meals.
Bajamundi also said her stigmas about homeless people broke down as she realized that they had likes, dislikes and personalities ““ just like everyone else.
“Some people donate ridiculous clothes to homeless shelters ““ donating whatever they have in their closets that they don’t want,” Bajamundi said.
She said the people in the shelter had a definite sense of personal style. One guest, Jacky, was known for her penchant for big earrings and jewelry.
Though Bajamundi said she felt the experience helped break down stereotypes about the homeless, she added that the stigmas associated with homeless people weren’t completely thrown out the window for her.
“A lot of homeless people do struggle with issues like alcoholism and drug abuse, but (Dorothy’s Place founder) Robert Smith taught us that this is usually the result of some deep pain,” Bajamundi said.
Chen agreed, adding that when they first walked into Dorothy’s Place, she almost felt like she was walking into a little family, where all the staff and guests knew each other by name.
“(By the end of our trip) they came to know us and expect us to be there. We’ve established … a friendliness with these people,” Chen said.
The five UCLA students who volunteered at Dorothy’s this year plan to return next year during spring break.
“When I see homeless people in Westwood I can’t help but feel unsafe around them … but I went to Dorothy’s and learned more about the homeless in five days than I have in all my life,” Bajamundi said.