Chicago- First Day of Service!

By: Chloe Miller

We made it to Chicago!

Hi friends! My name is Chloe Miller and I am a Sophomore at Missouri State University. We had a full day in Chicago with an early morning of service to kick us off and some downtown exploring to end the night! Our focus in Chicago is on homelessness and hunger.

Our group outside of La Casa Norte's temporary building. They are currently reconstructing their old location, which should be open in August/September.

A Glimpse of Day One

Today, we began our week of service at an organization called La Casa Norte.Their mission involves helping people of all ages confronting homelessness to ultimately make a change within themselves, families, and communities. La Casa Norte offers many programs including permanent, transitional, and emergency housing. After learning about the history of the organization, we worked hands on in the spaces provided. Split into groups, some of us made decorations to make the facility more welcoming, while others organized clothing, baked a dessert for the clients, distributed foods and other goods into bags, and did a local street clean-up. While reflecting after our first day, some words we used to describe our experience was “family”, “passion”, and “kindness.” Today’s experience provided an opportunity for our group members to become vulnerable, grow closer, and use our strengths in necessary areas.

We ended the day by exploring the Chicago River and other shopping districts nearby. Today was a great way to begin our official week of serving the Chicago community and we are so eager to see what the next three days have in store for us!

Exploring down by the Chicago River!