Wednesday, July 20, 2022, 4-7pm: I was given a name tag and was greeted by Nate Ross and I watched a video on the concept of Community Servings and the work that would be assigned to us. I quickly learned that Community Servings is very strict on being clean. I was given a short tour by Nate Ross of the kitchen and was quickly assigned a role by Mr. Fernandez who was the 'leader' of the kitchen. I was paired with two high school girls and our job was to package Rice Krispies. Throughout the shift, I was taken aside by one of the staff members to throw out the trash which resulted in me washing my hands and changing my apron and gloves 4 times in an hour. I didn't take any breaks during my shift.
Thursday, July 21 2022 4-7pm: I was chopping vegetables while other volunteers with me were packaging the meals. I was advised to cut carrots in small cube shapes and was corrected multiple times because I kept cutting them in bigger cubes without noticing.
Wednesday, July 27, 2022 1-4 pm: I was introduced to Mr. Abernathy and was helping him throw the trash out which was challenging at first just because we had to throw out cardboard boxes in big chunks which was heavy. I was then assigned to package food in containers.
Thursday, August 4, 2022, 1-4pm: I was 20 minutes late to my shift due to traffic. I was introduced to multiple young staff members this day. My task was to store vegetables in rooms and fridges which was challenging because each container of vegetables was extremely heavy. Some containers included Tomatoes and Cabbages which were the heaviest containers. Others included parsley leaves, coriander leaves, cucumbers, carrots and more. I was then given the task to throw out the trash which was also difficult because I was required to throw out cardboard boxes in big quantities. But I ended up bonding with the young staff members because we were assigned the same role and they were introducing me to different staff members in the building. This day I saw my group members, Erin, Tee, Ruihan, Sikai and Wyatt! They were working together in the same station which was chopping up and cooking vegetables. They were not able to assign me to the same station as them because of how late I was but I managed to see them because I was storing the vegetables in their section of the kitchen.
Reflection:
Volunteering at Community Servings was truly an honor and an eye-opening experience. Going into the building, I had no expectations and did not know what I was getting myself into except for the fact that we were volunteering for a good cause. I have had volunteering experience prior to Community Servings where my friends and I would sell baked goods for the needy. However, Community Service was an experience that I will never forget and will cherish for the rest of my life. I can honestly say that I was put to work from packaging to storing and cooking foods. There were many moments when I was ready to give up, specifically when it came to storing foods just because I thought I wasn't strong enough to do so. But because of the encouragement and the atmosphere among the staff members at Community Servings, I was constantly motivated. My time at Community Servings was also an educational experience not only within the food industry but within Boston itself. Living here for 4 years, I never imagined I would have the opportunity to give back to a local community at my second home. Community Servings reminded me of my love for volunteering. Overall, my experience was positive, I am thankful for the first-hand experience that I gained and I can say that I know what happens behind-the-scenes of organizations such as Community Servings. I would definitely volunteer for them again.