Youth Services Opportunities Project (YSOP) Service Trip

Service Trip Whitehouse LGS students Erin Taub, Ageliki Milios, Steven Joseph, Elizabeth Rilling and Abigail Paulion

By Matthew Bellomo 

I recently went on two service trips with Adelphi to participate in an effort to provide relief to homeless individuals in New York City and Washington D.C. There, I, along with other students, worked in shelters, soup kitchens, food and clothing banks and other direct-service institutions to provide assistance.

I participated in the D.C. Youth Services Opportunities Project (YSOP) trip with fellow LGS students Erin Taub, Ageliki Milios, Steven Joseph, Elizabeth Rilling and Abigail Paulion. These trips were unlike any I had participated in before because we interacted and had conversations with the people we were helping.

This experience opened my eyes to the amount of poverty in America and how the high cost of living has created an enormous wealth disparity. I learned so much about homelessness and how anyone could one day be in the same position. I was able to meet so many devoted and dedicated volunteers who were as passionate about giving back as I was. I love doing community service and I hope to have another experience like this again in the near future!