Samantha Woolcock

Tuesdays 2:20-3:10
Spreading God’s Goodness

As a new member of the Setonian community, I strive to maintain the history of

service as initiated by the Sisters of Charity. To me, being selfless can be defined as

giving back to others who are in need for no reason other than to simply help. At Seton

Hill, I believe the fact that this year’s goal is to reach 9,000 hours in volunteer service

speaks on the selflessness of this community. It takes a lot to be a student alone, but

Setonians still manage to reach out to the community for various service activities.

For this course, I volunteered at the Lady of Grace Food Pantry. This event was

beneficial to the poverty-stricken and hungry. I helped carry boxes of food to cars, for

many of them were old or feeble. Through my three hours, all of the community

members that came to register and collect food were so very appreciative. Even though

it was not directly geared toward spreading generosity and God’s goodness, I feel the

message was conveyed. For example, before the food distribution started, all the

volunteers prayed together. Also, after the community members started collecting food,

I heard many of them tell one of the volunteers, “God, bless you.” This event would not

have been made possible without the selflessness of others. So, not only did this event

help those in need, but it also spread our Father’s willingness to provide for those in

need.

One particular moment that I wish to remember is when a young mother came

through the line smiling so big as she was granted diapers for her newborn. This

especially stood out to me because I realized this mother just wanted to provide for her

child without the financial means of doing so. This was nice reassurance that the food

pantry is a great cause for those in need and truly have a golden heart. I have
 Samantha Woolcock

Tuesdays 2:20-3:10
concluded that I will live my life giving back to those because we are all humans just

trying to make ends meet.

Another distinguishing moment made me realize how similar everyone in the

world is even though we look and act so different. I was helping a woman carry her

food through the line as she collected more. I happened to notice that she was wearing

a shirt that said, “I run better than the government.” I thought it was funny and chuckled

to myself inside. Moving along through the line, another volunteer commented on her

shirt stating the humorous aspect of it. In this deeply divided country, all three of us still

agreed with the statement on her shirt. I am sure we are all not in agreement on

political parties, yet we still had a similar agreement. This moment made me feel a

sense of community with not only them but the entire world because beneath all the

hatred, we are all the same on the inside.

Even though my volunteer experience for Connections is completed, I will

continue to serve as a member of this selfless community. As I was leaving my

volunteer site, a nice lady offered to give me a ride so I can volunteer next month too.

This event takes place on the first Saturday of every month, and I will continue to

volunteer for this beneficial cause. I am so grateful the people I met were nice enough

to offer me a ride next time since I do not have a car on campus. Along with the food

pantry, I will continue to volunteer with direct patient contact at miscellaneous events at

nursing homes, for I am in the Physician Assistant Program and can use as much

experience as possible in the healthcare field. Overall, this was a great experience that

I will continue to build on as an active volunteer and a member of the Setonian

Community.