Victoria Ortiz of High Falls Aids Thousands in Need in Nation's Capital

2014 Jan 31

Victoria Ortiz of High Falls, New York, was one of 15 students from The College of Saint Rose who spent the last week of the 2013-14 Winter Break experiencing first-hand the plight of thousands of homeless, working poor or seriously ill men and women in the nation's capital by volunteering in Washington meal programs and social service agencies.

Victoria and the 14 other students worked at three Washington centers that serve homeless and impoverished individuals. Ten volunteers helped serve nearly 1,000 meals daily at So Others Might Eat (SOME), an organization that provides meals, housing, medical care and other services to those who live in shelters and on the streets The five others worked at Charlie's Place, a breakfast and social service program sponsored by St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Washington, and at DC Central Kitchen, which turns leftover food into meals for thousands of at-risk individuals.

In addition, Victoria attended seminars focused on the issues of homelessness and veterans and on how incarceration impacts the likelihood of ending up homeless. The 15 students wrapped up their week by visiting the offices of New York's senators and representatives to advocate around these two issues.

This was the 19th time that Saint Rose students gave up part of their winter vacation to help the less fortunate. The 10 who volunteered at SOME were involved in all aspects of feeding hundreds of homeless men and women: preparing and serving the food, greeting people who enter the building, setting and clearing tables, washing dishes and other chores. At Charlie's Place, students helped empower homeless individuals by offering them hot breakfasts and assisting with additional services. At DC Central Kitchen, the students fed breakfast to chronically homeless people living on the street and helped recycle more than 3,000 pounds of food into 4,500 meals daily.

The students volunteered in Washington from January 4 through January 9, 2014.

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