Right Place. Right Time. Right People.

Reflection by Finn Spencer | NDMV Site Manage in Apopka, Florida

Every year, AmeriCorps members around the country participate in the 9/11 Day of Service to prove what we can really do when we work, move, and care together. Due to some logistical issues this year, our Apopka team and I had to reschedule our service project for exactly one month later, on October 11th.  It’s funny- I was initially pretty disappointed at how late we were on this service project. It just goes to show that the universe works mysteriously, putting us in the right place, at the right time, and with the right people. 

The week of October 11th, Hurricane Milton struck Florida, leaving so many of our neighbors displaced and without power or resources. The first day anyone in the Central Florida area could start returning to business as usual (whatever that means) just so happened to be October 11th, the day of our “late” service project! The original plan was simple: The nine NDMV Apopka members and I would sort and package food donations at our local food bank. However, it was clear that an entire community of helpers, about 50 people from the area, also showed up at the food bank to volunteer in response to the storm! The members all had their issues to sort out after the storm but chose to participate in this project anyway, setting it all aside to do something truly selfless. After working together fervently to assist each other in arriving at the food bank on time, the team showed a profound excitement to jump right in and work with the other volunteers who joined us, sorting food donations from local grocery stores. Together, the Apopka team sorted and packaged about 8,000 pounds of food donations to be distributed to community members affected by the storm. The impact of our service project, the difference we made in the lives of those affected by the storm, is something we can all be proud of. The passion for service these members have shown, both in their day-to-day and during this time of crisis, is truly remarkable. 

What started as a logistical error that pushed our service project back by an entire month turned into a clever wink from the universe. We do what we can, where we are, as a band of ordinary people, and it is always enough; this is what service looks like. 

I’ll leave you with this poem by Adrienne Rich, which my good friend, Sister Ann Kendrick, introduced to me.

My heart is moved by all I cannot save
So much has been destroyed
I have to cast my lot with those
Who age after age, perversely,
With no extraordinary power,
Reconstitute the world.