DAY 1 - MUTUAL

After a night of doubtful sleep, this morning we went to an organization called EarthLinks, where we learned about gardening, different species of plants, and how they employ and support those experiencing poverty in Denver. We also got to learn how to reuse dried and pressed flowers to decorate jars to take home. Half of us worked on team bonding and built raised garden beds, and the other half worked on disassembling old garden beds for new space. Thank you, EarthLinks, for starting our experience with nature and learning more about how the smallest plants and animals can contribute to the entire environment. Also being able to craft jars of our own allowed us to gain a new perspective through recycling and art.

Afterwards, the group arrived back home to make sandwiches, which everybody had at least two of. This allowed us to get a good view of how the groceries would ration throughout the week. We ate outside in the beautiful sunshine, and a majority of us were happy to change into shorts. As we wrapped up our brief lunch, our community split into smaller groups and decided to find something to do, still getting used to being without devices. Many of us played tarps of hacky sack, and took in the amazing vitamin D we were blessed with. Others were taking naps or playing some card games, trying to prepare ourself for our next amazing service opportunity.

Finally, we ended our day of service by attending Mutual Aid Monday in front of the City Capitol. MAM had a main food line and then tents offering services around it. All of the food we brought were fan favorites. Many of us served food and talked to the people in line. Others picked up trash and fixed bikes. One guy was so happy with his bike being fixed he just rode off. Our favorite stand was the music and drawing stand where we talked to others and drew. MAM was a great experience because we were able to serve our community alongside our community. Now we are off to have a good dinner…hopefully.