Introducing the Volunteers of America Food Bank

The place where I will be completing my service learning project is at the Volunteers of America (VOA) Food Bank in Everett. Hunger is becoming more and more evident every day, and the VOA Food Bank is doing everything they are capable of in trying to eliminate this problem, one bag of groceries at a time. Donations of food in bulk are given to the facility and it is up to the volunteer members to break down the inventory into portions that can be distributed to families (http://www.voaww.org/voa5.cfm?SectionGroupsID=15&SectionListsID=27&PageID=191). Today was my orientation at the VOA and I got to meet so many friendly volunteers that showed me what I would be doing and who I would be helping which is mainly sorting out portions of food and customer service. There is no discrimination at the VOA; anyone who is struggling can find help there. The most common visitors are seniors and children who are on very fixed incomes and are really in need of help. People that have families and make enough money to pay bills sometimes come up short in the food department and they are in need to be able to feed their families. Today I got the tour of the Food Bank, and though I havent yet worked a shift, I've gotten the idea of how an average day will turn out. There will be a lot of sorting foods onto shelves, and helping people find their way around the area and getting them what they need. The food is in good quality, but not so much in quantity so it will be difficult to ration out what is available to those who have a family of five or six to feed. I can already imagine the smiles of the people I help as they are relieved to feel that they will be able to have something to eat instead of starving till their next paycheck, or lack thereof. Everyone at the bank was friendly and helpful and I cant wait to start my first shift. I chose the food bank because I wanted to learn and find out just how hard it is for people that live so close to my area, and hopefully find out some of their harships so it will feel even more rewarding helping them in their time of need. I have also been meaning to start helping those in need in various ways but Ithink that the VOA Food Bank will be the best start.

Just Starting Out

This is my first post and I am really excited to begin Service Learning. I hope this will be just the start I need to begin helping out others more often.