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Ethical Dilemmas Of Volunteering At Soup Kitchen And Food Bank

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As a group, we are completing our service learning at soup kitchens and food banks in the Cincinnati area. Based off of our experience volunteering at these various organizations, we decided our hypothetical challenge to be as follows: “You are a regular volunteer at a soup kitchen and food bank. Some guests come in that do not qualify for these services because they have the financial assets to do so. Should you be able to refuse services to visitors that are financially stable?”. Using the Six-Step process will allow us to make an ethical decision through thoughtful reflection and logical judgement to best assess this dilemma (Doherty 106). For the first step, we will gather relevant information. There are many questions that come up when …show more content…

This is essential so that we are able to properly assess the situation at hand. In this situation, I believe the ethical problem can be identified as an ethical dilemma. As for the ethical dilemma, this situation has two possible correct courses of action (Doherty 65). As the volunteer, we could abide by our organization’s guidelines and eligibility requirements for receiving services. In this case, to ensure fair and equitable distribution of resources, we can refer them to staff at the kitchen to assess their eligibility. Another possible course of action could be to act with beneficence towards the guests. In this case, we would be acting in best interests of the guests. Volunteering at a food bank or soup kitchen is an act of service and compassion towards others. It isn’t our place to judge or assume financial need. We should provide help and support to those without discrimination or bias. Since we have identified the type of ethical problem, we will look to the ethical frameworks that could be used to assess the …show more content…

Utilitarianism evaluates one’s actions based on their ability to maximize overall benefit, happiness, and well-being to the greatest number of people. In this case, a utilitarian approach may argue that refusing services to those that are financially stable would maximize the overall benefit of those who are truly in need of the services. This way it would ensure that the resources are being used for the right reasons and being saved for those who do not have the means to purchase or make their own food. On the other hand, we have virtue theory. This framework emphasizes the importance of developing good character traits and making decisions that align with those virtues. In this situation, using virtue theory would argue that it is important to treat all visitors with compassion, regardless of their financial situation. Turning away financially stable visitors would be a violation of the virtue, compassion. It is not our place to judge, and we do not know what people’s personal lives look like, so it is important to focus on providing assistance to those who need it. While exploring these ethical approaches, we can also think about the alternatives when making a

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