A Backwards Black Friday: The Day of Getting Becomes The Day of Giving

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Thanksgiving is a day for the gathering of families and friends around the country. It is a day for giving thanks for all that we have and reflecting upon the things to be grateful for in our lives, a day for sitting down for a hearty meal with family and catching up on each other’s busy lives, a day of relaxation amidst the impending stress that is sure to come with the arrival of the holiday season.

What could possibly be more ironic than kicking off the holidays and following up the events of Thanksgiving Day, the nationwide day of giving thanks, with Black Friday, a day comprised hurrying from store to store considering only many more items one could possibly purchase?

Despite the fact that both Thanksgiving and the holiday season are based in giving and gratefulness, Black Friday is based in greed and materialism, and precisely counteracts the true meaning of the holidays. However, just as Black Friday counteracts the purity of the holidays, La Salle’s LaSallian Youth club worked to counteract the materialism of Black Friday by giving back to our community.

Nine students, including myself, and four faculty members spent the morning distributing the coats collected by the Warm Coat Drive to the homeless population in Providence. The distribution took place outside, in front of the Rhode Island Statehouse, and carried on through overcast skies and a slight drizzle. The morning was cold, and the air smelled of coffee, and upon glancing down, there were heaps of coats, jackets, sweatshirts, sweaters, hats, scarfs, and mittens just about everywhere. A table was set up for the volunteers tasked with the sorting and hanging of garments on hangers, and beyond the table, several clothing racks were set up to hang the coats. Volunteers met us when we arrived and assigned us tasks; a few other students and myself were assigned to search the clothing racks for empty hangers to return to the volunteers hanging the garments.

Volunteering at the distribution impacted me more profoundly than I expected. I watched the homeless flow in and out of the setup, arriving on foot empty-handed and departing with at least one warm winter garment. Some came alone; some came in groups; many brought young children along. Some were older and some were younger; some spoke Spanish and others spoke English. At one time, a woman and her two children approached me, asking in Spanish where the children’s coats were located. Determining what it was she was asking was a challenge for me, and the woman seemed to recognize my struggle and offered her thanks in excess when I was finally able to recognize her question. I later overheard a conversation between two older men who were looking at the same coat, each of them insisting that the other take it. When one man finally conceded and took the coat from its hanger, their interaction ended upon the parting words of “happy holidays.”

During my time volunteering, I was able to witness the impact that both the spirit of giving and the spirit of the holidays had upon those among us who are the least fortunate. I was struck by the positive and even cheerful attitudes displayed by the homeless, as most offered warm smiles when passing by and some even offered brief words of thanks. Despite their misfortunes, I saw that they were still able to find joy, even if it was only for a day. The most joyous part of volunteering was looking around to see the looks of pure joy upon people’s faces at the amount of coats they had to choose from, and the experience has inspired me find more ways to give back, whether on my own or through LaSallian Youth.

Even in their adversities, we helped to make it possible for the Providence homeless population to experience the start of the holiday season on the basis of the true spirit of the season: giving. Upon reflecting, I am proud to say that we helped to transform a day of getting into a day of giving.