Promoting Leadership in Aspiring Youth
For years now, PLAY Leadership has been cooperating with Agape Silicon Valley, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, to participate in the Agape Silicon Valley Distribution. PLAY Times was able to get in contact with Todd Langton, the co-founder and leader of Agape Silicon Valley and organizer of the distribution. We conducted an interview with Todd, who provided us with some insight into the history and details of the distribution:
Agape Silicon Valley, formed 4 years ago, is a volunteer organization whose name means “unconditional love.” Since their creation, their mission statement has been “enhancing the standard of living of the unhoused with a focus on identifying and serving the most vulnerable.” To achieve that, they began going out periodically to distribute necessities to those in need. This process soon evolved into the monthly distribution we know today. These distributions typically last multiple hours, during which members of PLAY, Agape Silicon Valley and other volunteer groups collaborate to sort items and deliver them to encampments. Hygiene kits, clothing, food, and other donations are first organized and packed at the parking lot of the Cathedral of Faith Church. Then, volunteers separate into teams which split up to go to separate encampments to distribute their packed supplies.
It’s essential to perform the distribution in-person because the interactions between the unhoused and the volunteers are the most important part of the process. Not only does it build up trust between them, it also never fails to bring a smile to everyone’s faces. Todd has also stated that the Agape Silicon Valley distribution “doesn’t just influence and help the unhoused, it also influences the public and especially the youth.” Participating in the distribution is an invaluable experience; whether it be learning how to assist the underprivileged, breaking stereotypes about the unhoused, or simply just enjoying the process, every volunteer has something to take away from it.
To sign up for the distribution, keep an eye on PLAY’s upcoming events page or WeChat. In Todd’s words: “Make the last Saturday of the month your best day of the month, come join us for our distribution.”