Kaliva Morgan & Erin Bakker
Hercules High Seniors,
Volunteer at FreshStart, a Walnut Creek kitchen for the needy

By Amrit Dhaliwal
STAFF WRITER

For senior Kaliva Morgan, helping the homeless has been a life-changing cause.

Morgan began volunteering at FreshStart, a homeless rescue home in Walnut Creek, two years ago after her mother, Teresa, heard about the program through the KGO radio network.

"When my mom and I heard about it, we called Susan Prather, the lady in charge of the home, and asked if she needed any help," said Morgan.

Once introduced in the home, Morgan received her assignment: to help all guests at FreshStart feel at home.

Morgan chose to sit and eat with the guests and was able to gain insight into their life and problems.
“There was a guy who inherited a bunch of money from his father, then donated it all to charity,” recounted Morgan. “I was shocked when I heard this, but he seemed happy with being homeless.”

Morgan would also perform other chores at the home such as purchasing the food for the free kitchen and making sure the guests had a fresh pair of clothing after they took a shower.

A few months into helping at FreshStart, Prather recommended that Morgan also looked into the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) located in Richmond.

"At GRIP I helped with distributing and preparing the food in the underground soup kitchen," said Morgan.

Although Morgan had never done community service such as this, she soon found that by volunteering at GRIP and FreshStart she was able to bond with her mother while doing a great cause.

“This was something we both wanted to do and it brought us closer together. We were able to see how other people are living their lives and their situations,” mentioned Morgan.

Morgan was able to inspire other classmates to help in the cause.

Fellow senior Erin Bakker approached Morgan to ask if she could assist and with the aid of Morgan, Bakker was able to join the FreshStart team in August.

"I couldn’t wait to help. I was just really excited to do this,” said Bakker.

Bakker, who had been volunteering at GRIP before Morgan had, started FreshStart as a veteran with experience in a homeless environment.

“From my experience, I would definitely recommend others to start at FreshStart,” said Bakker.
“Guests who come to GRIP are in a worse situation and by starting at FreshStart you’ll be able to get a cushion for GRIP.”

Morgan and Bakker who have gained many friends through the program have also become more accepting of other people’s situations.

"After helping out at the home I felt like a better person because I knew that I was able to make some type of difference in the world," said Bakker.

Morgan and Bakker are currently unable to work at the FreshStart home because it is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"We have school and can’t really miss out on that," said Bakker.

However, the duo does plan on taking a week off of school before Christmas to help at FreshStart.

“During that time we will help bring in donations, getting the presents ready and prepare the food," said Morgan.

Morgan and Bakker, who both have hopes of continuing working at FreshStart in, have accumulated different outlooks towards homeless people and volunteering.

“If you are going to volunteer to help, you should do it because you want to not because you need to .The homeless don’t need someone to feel sorry for them or talk down to them.

“All they need is a friend,” said Morgan.