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Where: 32 Road to 33 Road, D Road to F Road How it Works: Put your rubbish along the 11 street before 7 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 3, Jan. 10 and Jan. 17 for pickup. How to Help: ◆Talk to your elderly neighbors and help them clean up their yard or move unwanted things to the side of the 11th street. ◆If it is OK, don’t park your car on the street during the clean-up. For a map of the clean-up area or more about unacceptable things visit https://healthymecountry.org Questions? Call 970-2422-1762.

Seven years ago, Joyce Akinpe moved to Australia to start a new life, finding an exciting job in Sydney. After the outbreak (爆发) of COVID-19, she suddenly lost her job.

Seeing that there were many others like herself in trouble from the outbreak, Akinpe and her two roommates, Michelle Gomez and Maureen Lee, brainstormed ideas for how to help their local community. They came up with a street pantry (储藏柜). Gomez said the idea was very simple, “Take what you need and leave what you can.”

With the help of Gomez’s father, they built the Blessing Box-a street pantry, with shelves and hanging baskets and two doors made from old furniture.

It sits just at the back of the three girls’ home, so they can look after it. They put some information notices into their neighbors’ mailboxes, and the Blessing Box was quickly filled with the donations (捐赠) from the community. “It is the community’s strong support that keeps the project alive.” Akinpe said.

“We now have hundreds of people visiting our box every day. It might only take two hours for the box to be full and next hour it might become empty again. We are now helping others to carry out similar projects in their own communities, too,” Gomez said.

Lee said things in the box were mostly convenience foods, as well as some necessary life things such as spaghetti and toilet paper. “Few people take everything at once. They think there are other people who need them more.” Lee added.

There were many people rushing there for donations. The three girls needed to sanitize (消毒) all the donations and make sure all food packages were not broken. Gomez said that they had no time for rest, but what they did was well worth.

①“Volunteering (做志愿工作) can make a real difference to the world. It makes you look at the world differently. You see how little things can change a person’s life for the better, which makes everyone a better person.” Mason, a volunteer said.

②National Volunteer Week started in 1974 and is held every April. It is a time to thank volunteers for their achievements. It is also a perfect opportunity (机会) to encourage others to take their first step toward becoming a volunteer. Making the decision to take the first step can be the biggest problem, because they often wonder if they will be able to meet the organization’s expectations (期望). Some people fear not knowing anyone else in the group. Not having enough time also stops some from sharing their abilities. The following tips can help if you have some of these worries.

③Start out slowly, don’t add too much pressure (压力). Even a few hours a month can make a big difference in someone’s life.

④Choose an organization (组织) with the same interests and common values.

⑤Take part in a training meeting for new volunteers, even if it is not asked.

⑥Work with a experienced volunteer. He volunteered a lot, he can help you increase the confidence and completely understand the organization’s expectations.

⑦Invite a friend or family member to serve. It is a good experience to volunteer with them.

⑧Finally, it is most important to enjoy the volunteer experience and to remember that not all volunteer experiences are perfect. If one experience doesn’t work, don’t give up and you’ll surely find the right opportunity.

⑨Spend some time on volunteer work and you will see great changes in people’s lives. As Mason discovered during his volunteer experience, “...little things can change a person’s life.”