For
my main contact zone, I evaluated The Window which is located on 223
South Main St. This non-profit acts as a free Goodwill and diner. The
Window is a contact zone where different social and financial classes
can meet up. Those who can afford to donate provide The Window with
their food and clothes. Those who cannot afford to buy food or
clothes go to The Window and may leave the store without paying a
cent.
The
Window is mainly built upon its employees, the community, and
volunteers. Without their willingness and can-do attitudes, The
Window wouldn’t have been running for 100 years. With these three
main components, The Window will continue to serve the community.
The
Window has a great program to help feed people who are sixty years or
older. The meal is delivered around the noon hour and the meal
consists of lunch/dinner items. In order to get these meals, one need
to be sixty years or older, unless one has a doctor’s note for the
meals, and must contact The Window by email, fax, or phone. By
serving those who are sixty years old and older, they have the
capability to serve 14.9% of the community!
From
the exterior, I figured that The Window wasn’t anything special.
The warm colors of the building didn’t stick out from the downtown
of Goshen and there were clothes on the wall, shoes on the shelves,
and coats on hangers. The pantry was nice, some items were dented,
but the item inside the can was still good. My conversation with the
workers changed my view, especially the cook. All of the workers
truly care about the community and encourage others to do the same by
volunteering and/or donating. Their devotion towards the community is
definitely something that other communities are missing. For
instance, in my community, there is a clear distinction among
financial and social classes and I don’t know of any outreach
programs that can compare to The Window.
The
Window is most definitely a contact zone for the community! It allows
those who are financially stable to help those who are still feeling
the effects of the 2008 economic downfall. This contact zone is
specific to material needs and necessities in the form of clothes and
food. It’s incredible to watch people go into The Window for 20
minutes and then come back out with bags of groceries and clothes.
It’s truly incredible.
The Window seems like it would be a really interesting contact zone to look at. The amount of people that would come to the Window would definitely make it a contact zone. The one thing that I wonder about though is how fully the boundaries between classes are really crossed in this contact zone. The Window was created for people in need, so only people in need will go there to shop. Because of this, most of the people who would be there would be similar to one another. I wonder what they could do to improve this aspect of the contact zone.
ReplyDeleteThe Window is such a great contact zone! I remember working there one Thanksgiving fondly. I met so many people who I NEVER would have met otherwise. Even though it is only needy families who go there to actually get things, there are many well off members of the community to go there to volunteer and help out. I think this is what makes it a contact zone between economic and social classes. After all, the Window simply could not exist without both of them.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy how, in your presentation, you addressed the issue of pride. I would like to believe that the Window does a good job of helping people out, while still making them feel respected.
I had never of heard of this place until your presentation and I honestly think its a major contact zone. You mention how it does meals on wheels, and I used to do that when I was younger to help the community. That itself brings together the older and younger community. After many visits I knew a few of the people by name and every time the volunteers and I would visit many of them were excited to see us stop by again and knew us by name. It was a great experience, and the Window itself is a great contact zone.
ReplyDeleteOrganizations like the Window are often such great contact zones. The Window is a place where people of different socioeconomic status can interact with each other. There don't seem to be a whole lot of places where this interaction takes place, given that people often live and work with people who are really similar to themselves. While I've known about the Window, I didn't know anything about their Meals on Wheels program. This seems to be a great way to create a contact zone as well.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in Goshen my whole life, I have never really taken time to get to know the Window. But reading your blog post and hearing your presentation has really made me see what good this Organization does to the community. It's such a great contact zone because a lot of people from different ethinicities come to it. It's awesome to hear that people care and are willing to help others in the community. Overall good job Olivia! I like your blog post and your presentation! I've definitely learned a lot from these contact zone blog posts.
ReplyDelete