Over the week of spring break, three groups of Anselmians went on Anselmian B.R.E.A.K. service trips to three different parts of the country. One group traveled to Mariandale in upstate New York, one group went to Maine, and another went across the country to Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  

Youssef Elshaarawy ‘23 talked about his week in Mariandale: “Our group was helping with people who were experiencing homelessness in New York State. We helped with something called the Fuller Center.” 

He explained that the Fuller Center buys houses and refurbishes them to sell them at a lower price. In addition to his work with the center, his group was able to spend a day hiking Bear Mountain and another day in Manhattan. 

In Manhattan, Elshaarawy said the group took a truck into the city and gave clothes, soup, sandwiches, and Oreos to the community. He added with a smile that they had planned to hand out coffee as well, “but the coffee spilled on the way.” He said, “The focus of it was the connection you made with the people, and we were very encouraged by the people who were hosting us to start conversations with people on the street.”  

Rina Simpson ‘23 went to the Lakota reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The Pine Ridge group worked with an organization called Re-Member. Simpson stated, “it has the same root word as dismember, but the opposite meaning,” so meaning “to put back together” instead of to take apart. She added, “we were volunteering to help serve the Lakota people who live on Pine Ridge reservation. We chopped firewood, we helped build bunk beds, delivered firewood, and heard from different cultural speakers.”   

A fact that shocked Simpson was that “over 80% of adults are unemployed because there simply aren’t jobs.” They went on to explain that reservation residents can’t start businesses because “people don’t have the cash on hand to start a business,” but that if someone did manage to start a business, “people don’t have the money to buy from you. They’ve tried to have corporations come in and start a Walmart or a McDonald’s to help create jobs and bring more affordable products, but there are zoning laws the government has put in place that keep that from happening.” 

The third B.R.E.A.K. group spent their week serving at an organization called H.O.M.E. in rural Maine. Kylie Lison ‘23, co-leader of the group, said, “H.O.M.E. has many services, ranging from a soup kitchen, child daycare, a thrift store and even a shelter, all aiding in providing people with the basic necessities of life. We spent a lot of time getting to know the hardworking individuals who spend so much of their time and energy dedicating their lives to bettering the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters.” This particular group also stacked wood, volunteered in the food pantry, cleaned and organized the buildings that house the programs, in addition to having “the opportunity to listen to the community members’ life stories.”

When asked about the most meaningful parts of his experience, Elshaarawy said that it was “the connections made with the community and with my group.” He shared the story of the B.R.E.A.K. group being introduced to the community as Saint Anselm College students “from Vermont,” a funny mistake that gave the group something to laugh together about. 

From their trip to Pine Ridge, Simpson spoke thoughtfully about how the “most meaningful part was being welcomed by these people and having them show us glimpses of what their everyday life was like.” She shared the ways in which the Lakota welcomed Saint Anselm students into their culture, from a speaker who referred to the group as his “visiting grandkids,” to speakers sharing the Lakota creation story or traditional flute music with the group. 

Both Elshaarawy and Simpson enthusiastically described B.R.E.A.K. trips as a valuable part of their Saint Anselm experiences. The trips offer an opportunity to live out the College’s value of Benedictine hospitality in a hands-on way that is both fun and transformative.