Service Project Blog

I volunteered for two different organizations for my service project, totaling up to about 7.5 hours. The first was MorningStar Mission, and with them I volunteered in a food pantry helping organize and box food for 3 hours, and the other was Habitat for Humanity, at which I went to one of their retailer locations and help load and unload their furniture for 4.5 hours.

The mission statement of MorningStar is "We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, ultimately authoritative Word of God. We believe there is one God, eternally existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is deity, that He was born of a virgin, that we are redeemed by His atoning death through His shed blood, that He bodily resurrected and ascended into Heaven, and that He will come again in great power and glory. We believe that men are saved through a direct, personal encounter with the risen Lord, at which time they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This event we hold to be an experience, rather than a doctrinal supposition. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whom Christ indwells each believer enabling him to live a godly life of obedience as he reaches for maturity. We believe the Holy Spirit unites all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and that together they form one body, the Church". 
This is an organization that was founded in 1909 and serves to help the poor with worldly needs and those of a higher power. As they provide food, drinks, clothing, and shelter for the impoverished, they also spread the word of Jesus Christ and show thoughtfulness and compassion. They host many programs like the 180 club which helps break people free of alcohol and drug addictions or the East Side Cafe where they serve meals to the homeless.

http://morningstarmission.com/index.html

I was there for 3 hours on Saturday, February 21st, 2015. The location I went to was at 248 Republic Avenue, Joliet, IL 60435. I found this volunteer opportunity through my fraternity, and went there with 4 of my brothers. The other volunteers that were already there or showed up after us were all very friendly and there was a great deal of diversity amongst the group. There were all kinds of races performing the work and having conversations with one another and generally creating a very productive, friendly atmosphere. The main task we were responsible for completing was organizing all the donated food that Morningstar received. It came to us in massive cardboard boxes filled to the brim with non perishable foods and each contained just about anything that could be found in a grocery store. We were able to find and group similar foods (peanut butter, Macaroni and Cheese, certain flavors of canned soup, canned corn, etc.) and out them in a pile until it was big enough to get its own labeled box and be sent to a distribution center. Everyone that was there shared a common feeling of wanting to be able to help those less fortunate than ourselves. They were there by their own choice, so other than taking breaks to eat or chat with their fellow volunteers, everyone was very eager to do some work. Even the supervisors were willing to lend a helping hand and answered all questions very kindly. A positive interaction I had was speaking with one of the people I met there. It was a woman and she told me how she grew up poor but managed to work her way into a better position. It was very inspiring to see this woman passionately talk about something meaningful to her and it motivated me to work harder and appreciate my position in life more. I learned to be very grateful for the opportunities provided to me and to not take things for granted anymore. I tried to do this volunteer position again, but they were closed the second saturday I went.

The mission statement of Habitat for Humanity is "Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope."

Their mission principles are to "demonstrate the love of christ, focus on shelter, advocate for affordable housing, promote dignity and hope, and to support sustainable and transformational development". They are a nonprofit, international, and ecumenical Christian ministry. Even though they are christian, they promise to not proselytize or work with any company that does. They help everyone in need regardless of race o religion, and accept help from anyone willing to give it.

http://www.habitat.org

This took place on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015. I went to 200 S Larkin Ave, Joliet, IL 60436. I went to a retailer location where they sold a wide variety of furniture. Much of it was donated and then sold in the store in order to support the organization. Volunteers are a crucial part of the organization, but there weren't any there that day, so it was me working alongside several people that were earning wages for their service. They were all very friendly and lived in the area, but the diversity didn't vary as much as since most of the people were white or hispanic, with one very friendly african american woman working as a cashier. We all just communicated in order to get the work done in the quickest and most efficient way possible, and threw a joke in every now and then. Once that was done I went on a run all over will county to pick up some more furniture that was being donated. No one really complained because they were there to support themselves as well as try to help out their communities as much as possible and they understood the necessity and higher purpose. One effective interaction I had was when we left to do a run. It was only me and one other man in the car and at first I talked about my past and future goals and he was very supportive and encouraging, but then he told me about his past and how he made many mistakes. He was very regretful of all of them, including almost being unfaithful to his and smoking marijuana, but then talked about how he accepted jesus into his life and make a turn around. It was all inspiring and I was very happy for him. I learned that hard work pays off and that there are many people out there that are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to help others. I look forward to possibly going back there next year and even bringing some of my friends or fraternity brothers to help out.

Allowing Sources to Speak

Paraphrase 1
Schmidt, Charles. "Beyond Malnutrition: The Role of Sanitation in Stunted Growth." Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. 

"It has become clear that nutritional interventions are only part of the solution to stunted growth. In countries such as India, for instance, stunting occurs even among well-fed children, and that’s led investigators to consider other causes, especially poor sanitation and hygiene"

Sanitation and hygiene are just as important as proper nutrition in making sure that kids grow correctly.

Countries like India have shown that maintaining a clean health style may be just as important as eating proper food if you want children to be able to grow as they should.

There may be a lot of reasons why children may be experiencing stunted growth, but not eating the proper nutrients and having bad hygiene may be the biggest reasons.

"2015 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics." Http://www.worldhunger.org. Hunger Notes, 24 Mar. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.

"Children are the most visible victims of undernutrition.  Black et al (2013) estimate that undernutrition in the aggregate—including fetal growth restriction, stunting, wasting, and deficiencies of vitamin A and zinc along with suboptimum breastfeeding—is a cause of 3·1 million child deaths annually or 45% of all child deaths in 2011 (Black et al. 2013)"

Many children are left permanently damaged or perish from undernutrition.

Studies have been taken to show that growth deficiencies caused through a lack of nutrition can cause birth defects, stunting, wasting, and vitamin deficiencies and ultimately lead to death in children.

3.1 million child deaths, or 45% of all the children that died in 2011, can be traced back to health problems that were caused when the children's bodies could not get enough nutrients.

Humans are constantly in need of the proper nutrients necessary to keep their bodies working in a healthy and beneficial order, especially during childhood since its the time that their bodies also need to build the foundations that will support them for the rest of their lives. However, a large number of kids in impoverished countries cannot get the necessary foodstuff in order to do this. It is believed that "globally 161 million under-five year olds were estimated to be stunted in 2013" with half of all stunted children living in Asia (2015 World Hunger). This is an incredibly large number considering that's about half the population of the United States out in the world living their life with some kind of health deficiency and they're not even a few years old yet. These children will then go on and continue to grow despite having severe problems to their health and lead to complications later on in their life. While many humanitarian actions are being taken to help reduce the frequency and severity of stunted growth, there is still more to consider, for "It has become clear that nutritional interventions are only part of the solution to stunted growth. In countries such as India, for instance, stunting occurs even among well-fed children, and that’s led investigators to consider other causes, especially poor sanitation and hygiene"(Schmidt). In order to maximize the number of children that don't have to suffer from effects of stunting it is necessary to also maintain a certain standard of hygiene. This goes beyond just washing hands, but also making their environment safe enough to provide clean drinking water and to not make a potentially crippling disease such as dysentery or diarrhea easy to catch. To maximize the amount of children that are able to grow normally, there needs to be a dual effort to make sure they get the proper food and that they don't acquire any diseases that have negative effects on their bodies.

5 Sources

Source A: 2015 World Hunger Poverty Facts and Statistics This source supports claims made by one of my sources on the bad conditions in other locations, but talks about regions much more than specific countries This source gets refuted by another article that says that many health and society problems stem from unsanitary conditions as well as malnutrition	This source takes the key ideas of my topic and breaks them down to the core and makes everything black and white. It provides a lot of definitions and statistics that make the information blunt and easy to understand I’d say this is the person you come to if you know nothing about the topic and he can get you up to speed on everything
Source B: Schmidt Beyond Malnutrition: The Role of Sanitation in Stunted Growth This source supports the fact that malnutrition affects the growth and health of children, but it also says there is another very important issue as well, sanitation and cleanliness It contradicts my source A by saying that bad conditions are just as important if not more important than maintaining good food quality This source helps the reader understand because it provides insight they might not have considered and while it may not technically be a counterargument, it proposes a different approach to treating an important issue. I would introduce this source as the missionary that volunteered in a different country and is trying to talk about the bad conditions over there	Source C: Sinn Nutritional and dietary influences on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder This source supports the idea that nutrient imbalances may have negative effects on health, but it focuses it largely on children and their psychological response to it, not stunted growth It doesn’t refute anything said, but it steers the topic into a different direction and focuses largely on the negative affects it can have on a child’s mind It helps them better understand the subject by giving them new things to consider, and shows a different side to kids that don’t have proper diets. Its important because you may not be able to see these effects by looking at a child, but they become apparent when you start interacting with him or her This source would be the organized person that has all their arguments ready to present and takes a very informational and detailed approach
Source D: Ward Malnutrition This source talks about the importance of getting a proper diet, as do all my other sources, although it does not talk about specific parts of the food and how they affect the body, it does talk about the effects of malnutrition on a population of people It doesn’t contradict any of my sources It helps better understand the other sources because it talks about the UK, a first world country, and a majority of my readers will probably be from first world countries too and it will make a lot of my arguments much more relatable This source would be a person that has much first hand experience about what they are talking about and can provide personal anecdotes as well as credible facts	Source E: Weinfield Hunger In America 2014 This source is fairly unique and describes the coverage of food pantries in America but does not talk about nutritional value of the food or nutrient itself like my other sources do It doesn’t contradict any of my sources It helps the reader better understand because it talks about how many families in America need assistance and they severity of the help. It also talks about the effectiveness of the efforts taken and will go along nicely with my other sources since it makes the information personal and can be tied in with my information on the nutritional values of food This source we be the kind of person that went out and got their own info on a topic they were researching by asking and taking surveys
Source F:	Source G:

Annotated Bibliography and Project Proposal

Adam Sadek

Annotated Bibliography

"2015 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics." Http://www.worldhunger.org. Hunger Notes, 24 Mar. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.

This source is very informational and is meant to educate readers and give them a very general understanding of hunger around the world and the effects on those that suffer through it. It breaks down, defines, and elaborates on many issues that surround the topic such as the different kinds of malnutrition, statistics on the undernourished regions of the world, how the hunger affects the children, amongst other topics. It also answers several common questions that people reading the website might have.

I plan on incorporating this source because it breaks down all the basic knowledge that encompasses the subject in a way that people can understand but still stays very informational. If someone had any questions about the subject they would be able to get at least a partial answer by reading it in full. Citing this source would definitely be able to fill in any gaps that weren’t covered about my other sources about malnutrition and how frequently you can find it in different places around the world.

Sinn, Natalie. "Nutritional and Dietary Influences on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." Http://web.b.ebscohost.com. EBSCO Host, 6 Feb. 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

The article centers around the treatment and development of Attention Deficit Hypersensitivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. It gives a basic definition of what ADHD is and a lot of known causes and factors that might make ADHD more prevalent in children, such as neurological factors and biological factors. They state that suboptimal levels of fatty acids may be the most influential factor but malnutrition and low levels of several nutrients such as Zinc, Iron, and Magnesium also play a crucial role. The study describes in depth the different roles that each nutrient has on body and proper development and different risk factors that might be associated with improper levels, but places and emphasis on the development of the brain.

This article is particularly useful because it shows an in depth look into a variety of nutrients that may have serious effects on the body. It also diversifies the topics that I will be able to talk about since it describes mental health and growth factors in first world countries. It narrows down the subject to nutrients and draws upon studies to show how they pertain directly to the matter at hand. It will be directly relatable to a good majority of the readers since they will most likely be in a position similar to those in the study.

Schmidt, Charles. "Beyond Malnutrition: The Role of Sanitation in Stunted Growth." Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

This source describes not just the effect of nutrients on the body, specifically stunted growth in children and teens, but provides a counterargument by saying that sanitation plays a very large role on health and growth. It focuses on less developed environments where there is overcrowding and insufficient services to provide a healthy level of sanitation such as those that may be found in India. Statistics and facts are used to bolster the credibility of the article. It considers all aspects that may stunt the growth in children, such as how the cultural aspects of letting kids play anywhere like in Zimbabwe helped expose them to pathogens that may be found in fecal matter.

This source helps me stray away from focusing heavily on the concept of certain nutrients being the only things to consider when aiming for a healthy lifestyle. It will allow me to provide a counterargument to my source that says its not just healthy eating and appropriate levels of both necessary and unnecessary nutrients that’s required to stay healthy. For example, if you don’t stay clean you might get diarrhea that will force your body to purge much of the water in your body and not allow your digestive system to be fully effective in processing nutrients. It strays away from the first world concept that my other sources revolve around and shows how poverty and living in slums may affect someone’s health. While this source in particular doesn’t make malnutrition its main topic, it doesn’t ignore it and still provides interesting facts about how it is still a large influence it is just not the only one.

Ward, Jill. "MALNUTRITION." Practice Nurse 23 Feb. 2001: 22. Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

This article summarizes the effects that malnutrition or under nutrition may have on people that have had relatively healthy diets their entire lives, such as those in first world countries, specifically the UK. It first defines malnutrition and many of the ideas that surround it, which allows the reader to fully understand what is mentioned in the article. It gives statistics taken in the UK about the prevalence of this disorder and talks about the major problems associated with it. It also talks about the measures being taken in order to make this less of an issue and includes quotes from advocates on how to reduce the problem.

This source will be very useful in my essay since it will provide well-rounded details on a crucial part of my essay. It introduces the causes, explains the effects on the body, and makes it much more relatable since many of the subjects that the statistics are based off of could be gotten through a average member of society, and if the audience was but in a hospital then they might have contributed to the statistics.

Weinfield, Nancy, Gregory Mills, Christine Borger, Maeve Gearing, Theodore Macaluso, Jill Montaquila, and Sheila Zedlewski. "Hunger in America 2014." Www.feedingamerica.org. Feeding America, 1 Aug. 2014. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.

This source is the results of one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys done on hunger in America. Detailed in the pages is a wide range of surveys that describe the type of people that need assistance in order to get an appropriate and healthy amount of food. The article describes many of the key ideas surrounding the survey, its implementation, and its results. It also describes almost every aspect that went into planning the survey so the audience can either interpret it themselves or read the analysis provided for them. The source also utilizes many pictures and diagrams to help depict many of the ideas it’s trying to get across. It has a tone that permeates sympathy as well for it tries to get the reader to understand the unfortunate situation of many of the people in the survey .

The sheer size and inclusiveness of this survey will make it a great addition to my research paper. It includes all parts of the country, which builds upon its credibility and makes it more relatable to its readers for some of the members of the survey could have been living in their own community or not far from home. The facts and statistics inside can be incorporated and they are very recent, seeming as the study was published in August of 2014. Everything is broken down to its most simple pieces, so the reader can follow the authors’ trains of thought at least be able to understand how they came to those conclusions. The accurate nature and credibility of this survey will do very much to increase my own paper’s ethos and make it more meticulous.

Project Proposal

      For my service project I have decided to volunteer inside a food pantry that distributed food to those that were less fortunate than myself. While there I saw that while there was a great deal of food that many kind and compassionate people donated, I began to wonder where it was all going to and the benefits it might give them, seeing as all of it was non-perishable and not necessarily their healthiest choice. This motivated me to choose to do my project on and my thesis about the effect of poverty on the ability for children and adults to get the necessary nutrients needed to live long and healthy lives.  I have two sources that focus on already reasonably healthy individuals getting a lack of proper nutrients that results in complications. One of the two sources describes the different effects not having certain nutrients such as Zinc, Iron, magnesium, and fatty acids can have on children, but it places a large emphasis on the effect this has on the neurological disease ADHD. The other source mentions the effect a lot of the same nutrients may have on adults when their body stops getting the amount required. This will bring me into the first analytical question that I will attempt to answer, and it is ‘what is the difference between an adult not getting enough nutrients as opposed to a child?’. Poverty can affect anyone at any age, and it would be very interesting to be able to see the difference problems a single family with members of different ages can go through. Another one of the questions I plan to answer is “How does hunger in America compare to other countries?”. A third source describes how hygiene in addition to malnutrition affects the health of individuals and a fourth source describes the prevalence of poverty in many different regions of the world. This will allow me to compare the situation of those that live in first world countries to those that live in second world and third world countries. It will also allow me to provide counterarguments since a source sheds light on the importance of good sanitation and how consideration needs to be given to things other than just making sure a body gets the nutrients it needs. The sources will also let me elaborate upon the varying degrees of malnutrition and poverty that some are faced with and will allow my analysis to consider many different factors. The third question that will be answered in my research project is “How effective are food banks at feeding the needs of the impoverished?”. My fifth source is an elaborate explanation of a study done that detailed the amount of people in the US that needed assistance getting food. It will allow me to check statistics and do a little more research in order to be able to see if the needs of the hungry are being met 

3 Sources MLA Citation

Buka, Irena, Alvaro Vargas, and Brenda Clark. "Food Additives, Essential Nutrients and Neurodevelopmental Behavioural Disorders in Children: A Brief Review."Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 16 Sept. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3200397/?tool=pmcentrez>.

Doetsch, Holly. "Nutrient Deficiencies." Eating Disorders : An Encyclopedia of Causes, Treatment, and Prevention. Santa Barbara: Greenwood, 2013. 498. Print.
<http://br7ax6jy8x.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book&rft.genre=book%20item&rft.title=Eating+Disorders%3A+An+Encyclopedia+of+Causes%2C+Treatment%2C+and+Prevention&rft.au=Doetsch%2C+Holly&rft.atitle=Nutritional+Deficiencies&rft.date=2013-01-01&rft.isbn=9781440800597&rft.spage=311&rft.epage=314&rft.externalDocID=2723200119&paramdict=en-US>.


Schmidt, Charles. "Beyond Malnutrition: The Role of Sanitation in Stunted Growth." Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4216152/?tool=pmcentrez>.

Service Project Research Paper Source #1

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3989840?seq=4#page_scan_tab_contents

Description of the Science Wing Lounge

When you first walk into the Academic Building of Lewis University you are greeted with a warm embrace of light and decorum. As you walk through the halls you can't help but imagine all the learning and intellectualism that goes on beyond the closed doors of the classrooms and lecture halls. You look upon the posters that advertise upcoming events and organizations, as well as stare into the display cases that exemplify Lewis University's past and modern technology or advertise paraphernalia and school pride. Eventually you're drawn to the lounge, as you follow the luminescent streaking rays of light as they shine into the square, multi-leveled room, bordered by far reaching windows on three sides. You can't help but feel content embracing all the natural light that flows through the windows and gazing at the walkways, shrubbery, and planes as they land just outside your window. You walk through the spacious room, gawking at its contemporary design, and sit on one of the many soft and comfy chairs. Depending on the time you arrive, you can either be greeted by an array of students socializing or studying that dwindles into pleasant background noise or a quiet empty room with only the purr of fans and vents in the background. The room is kept clean, with no lingering smells to disturb those that come to relax or study. The lounge fits the rest of the university, in that it furthers the University's emphasis on learning and professionalism. It not only encourages learning and conversation by offering a location for students to be able to simply sit down and escape some of the stress or pressures they are going through, but is a perfect place for the random passerby to get a taste of what Lewis offers.