On a cold, brisk night in October, I served the community under a bridge in Portland with hundreds of other people. An organization called Night Strike gathers volunteers to serve the homeless. I went with a group of people from my church. Everyone meets in a tiny, old, run-down church and we all walk down to the Burnside Bridge. Under the bridge, there was a couple hundred people. Men, women, and kids, some even had dogs or other pets. The volunteers were split into groups; some served soup, others gave haircuts, washed feet, prayed for people, or walked around the city with food. I was assigned to a group that walked around the city with food. We were told to not be intimidating, let the people sleep if they were sleeping, and ask them questions about themselves. Just by looking, it can be easy to judge the people who are talking to themselves and sitting in old and ripped sleeping bags. At first I was kind of nervous to talk to them, and I would only interact with them if they asked for a cup of hot, black coffee. However, as the night went on, I got more comfortable with interacting with the people we were serving. Although they really have nothing, some of them were the happiest people I have ever met. Just by giving them a smile and asking how their day is going, or giving them a warm pair of socks and a sandwich, it can really make their day or even their week. Some of them like to imagine that they are somewhere else. 

“Hey! How’s your day going? Would you like a cup of coffee?” I asked an old woman lying against an overflowing trash can.

“Uhh,” she muttered, “I can’t talk right now, I am guarding the royal palace in the North Pole!!” 

I replied with, “Ok have fun!” and walked to the other side of the sidewalk. 

I could tell multiple stories about some of the people I met that night. For example, one man had a pet lizard, someone was doing a handstand and apparently he been doing that handstand for seven years, and so on. 

After a couple hours, my group and I walked back to the bridge. The number of people there had doubled. I helped served soup and other food the rest of the people. Going to Night Strike was such an amazing experience and I would love to do it again. Although it was hard to step out of my comfort zone, I needed to remember that some people have nothing and just need a small act of kindness to help them. 

The lesson I learned from going to Night Strike was that we should always be grateful for all we have. Some are more fortunate than others, so we should serve and help the people who really need it. Poverty and homelessness can easily be overlooked, and one sandwich won’t solve all the world's problems, but it can really make someone's day much better.