Monday, October 7, 2013

Blog 2, Post D: Service Project.

In keeping with our class curriculum for Hunger & Homelessness, as a student we are to be exposed to the subject matter via variety of perspectives.  Not only through class discussions, videos, research and this blog, but also through volunteer work with an at-risk population.  

This is were my service project comes in. With my professor's blessing, I propose to volunteer at the Common Food Pantry (http://commonpantry.org ) every Wednesday for five (5) weeks, starting Oct 9th for four (4) hours each day/time.  After speaking to Scott, the Program Director, I learned that I will be assisting with restocking of food items and will interact with clients during the food distribution hours, and they will also utilize my administrative skills in their office.

I learned that the Common Pantry has two food distribution sessions, one in the early afternoon (1pm) and one in the evening (6pm).  I will be of service in between those hours to help restock the shelves with food donations from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and from other vendors like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  The food pantry has a point's system for their clients: according to their website, "During the distribution, clients living within our service boundaries receive a well-rounded assortment of food items.  The first step is the shopping experience, where clients can choose items they prefer or are in specific need of by using “points.”  Points are allotted based on the number of individuals in the household."  Their mission statement further explains this point systems: "We strongly believe this unique shopping experience makes the Common Pantry special. It returns the human dignity of choice; something many of us take for granted when we visit our local grocery store."


I get really excited whenever the opportunity presents itself for me to be able to 'give back'.  I mentioned briefly in one of my earlier posts about my own situation when I found myself with my children in line at a food pantry in Rogers Park.  I knew from my early childhood, that food pantries existed; mine was located at my local church in Pilsen.  I never thought of it as shameful or needy because most of our neighbors were all in the same situation.  In my young eyes, it was just another local gathering of friends with an added bonus of leaving with bags of food.  Fast forward to my young adult years, and my perception had changed.  I stood in that line in Rogers Park with shame and need because I was unable to provide for my young children.  Thinking about it right now, I sympathize with my step-father and though he might have felt shame, I'm grateful that he had courage and put his pride aside to be able to accept the food and feed his children, instead of letting us go into starvation.  Because even with the government food from the pantries; the block of cheese, powder milk and cans of spaguetti-os, and with the school meals, there were still times that we went hungry.

No comments:

Post a Comment