How does service relate to learning?

Service relates to learning in a lot of ways. In my eyes, service is the best kind of learning because you really gain valuable experience from actually going out and participating. Servicing others allows someone to really connect themselves to the bigger picture. I have had a lot of service opportunities in my life and I have learned so much from being in the situation, first hand. I have learned things that books can't explain and teachers can't lecture. Not only do you gain knowledge about the people you are helping, but you also learn things about yourself that you may not have known before. For example, I volunteer at a food pantry back home and the first time I went I was really scared because I saw all of these people that came in with barely any clothes and they all looked like they hadn't bathed in a while. To be honest, they terrified me. Since that was my first time I really didn't understand what these people have been through and once I volunteered a couple more times I learned that they are people just like me, but they have been through some very unfortunate events and they are just trying to get food and clothes for their families. I also learned what goes on behind the scenes at places like this food pantry. I got to see first-hand, all of the paperwork that goes into running a place like that and I got to see how hard the other volunteers worked, especially the people who run it. One other thing I took away from this experience was the feeling it gave me to help my community. There really aren't words for it. Like Kelly said in her presentation, "service allows you to be part of something bigger that yourself." Service and learning go hand in hand because you are able to see yourself in something bigger than just a classroom setting, you're living it.