Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Friday, October 7, 2016

Today we headed out at 7:00 am to serve with Second Harvest for the second day. Different from our first day there, today we spent 2 shifts (9-12 and 1-4) completing two separate tasks at hand. The first role that I was a part of was preparing food boxes for families in the community that need them. This task required a lot of group dynamics and communication. Each box contained two cans of pickles, three canned goods and an assortment of dry goods, coming out to about 17 pounds per box. It was difficult to estimate the weight of each box. We were all compelled to try and box as much food as possible into each one to meet the family needs. However, we bounced back and forth between having the boxes being under or over weight. We also found that we struggled with boxing the goods in random combinations. The group communicated to try and make sensible combinations that were substantial, but we often ran out of certain items and were left with only sugary, unhealthy options that wouldn’t effectively aid the families. At one point, the only canned goods we had left were tomato paste, which was hard to put in each box without some other option. That being said, we did a great job of working together and communicating to fill the over 200-300 boxes of food that were completed! Chuck, a member of the management staff at Second Harvest, reiterated that every unit of food counts, even if it doesn’t seem like a sensible combination to us. The families that they serve are thankful, and with such a small staff at the second harvest warehouse, volunteers are mandatory for the continuation of their services.

                During our second shift, we worked together to fill bags that are passed out to students bi-weekly that contain a specific menu of items. They showed us how to fill the bags and tie them, and then we placed them all into bins that were stored until used. This was particularly fast paced and different from the experience on the conveyor belt. Each person would double a bag and then place each item in an organized manner into the bag. While most of the group did this, a few focused on opening new boxes of food and another person counted them. Over the course of the day, we completed nearly 400 or so bags that will be passed out to kids at their schools! This was an exciting experience because most of us naturally began to make a game out of it, racing the person across the table from us, turning it into a game. Working with the other members of our team at this pace truly demonstrated a level of teamwork separate from other experiences I have had. Many times we didn’t even have to say anything to one another to efficiently communicate.  

                One thing that stuck out to me about this service was when Chuck shared with us how hard it is to keep a food bank up and running. All staff and management are underpaid, but they return each day to serve their community. Financially, Second Harvest is not a government program, and they rely heavily on donations and grants. They are a part of the Feeding America umbrella organization that covers all Second Harvest nonprofits. Their dedication and hard work reflected the key components of servant leadership that our organization, The Center for Leadership and Service, stands for. Serving with them was truly an educational and blessed experience.

Tonight during reflection, we talked about how food access and food deserts are also critical social problems in Knoxville as well. We talked about our visions for a more just society, coming to the conclusion that everyone’s image of justice is different, but that equality and access to resources trumps all.  It was inspiring to listen to other’s ideas of a just society and ways in which we can better advocate for this social problem. I think the most meaningful part of reflection was listening to the highs and lows of the team. Many of them didn’t have lows, but we all saw today’s service as a window of opportunity for future service and movements.

Thursday, October 6 2016

Our group met bright and early at the 6:30 in the morning to jump-start our alternative break weekend. We were really excited to meet everyone and respected how students forfeited their weekend to do service in the Appalachian region. We got to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, which was our first service opportunity. Second Harvest’s mission is to end hunger by serving the Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Uncoi, and Washington Counties. Our community partner and site host, Tammy Laney, spoke to us about the outreach of the organization and how communities can better plug in. Our team’s first task was to bag green beans from local farms to help deliver fresh produce. Due to spoilage, fresh vegetables have a short life span and can be expensive. Many families use canned, packaged or frozen vegetables with their meals, therefore, fresh fruits and vegetables are a luxury. Produce also generates food waste, so it was cool that farms will donate what they do not sell to food banks to avoid throwing out food. This service opportunity is a good example of indirect service because we were assisting in tasks that would have fallen on the site visit. By sorting through produce, we freed up time for the employees to spend their time doing other tasks.

                Our next site was Appalachian Family Outreach located on Roan Mountain. Their mission is very unique in that they provide a safe haven for people who serve. They have many units, which they rent out at a low cost or in exchange for work, so that leaders have a getaway when they return from their mission. Appalachian Family Outreach also serves to help unite Military Family Families after deployment. It was very heartwarming to hear Larry’s, the site host, personal story about why he values outreach to returning military heroes and their family. While we were there, we did ground maintenance work consisting of clean windows, raking leaves, weed eating, and other facilities maintenance work. Larry was appreciative of the participants’ hard work.



                Concluding Thursday’s service, we arrived at our housing site, First United Methodist Church of Elizabethton. We cannot express our gratitude towards FUMC’s Youth Minister, Doug Hulshult. The church offered up their youth home to house us for the weekend, included us in community events, and kept us fed for a majority of the weekend. When we arrived we were greeted with open hearts, open arms, and Ridgewood barbeque. The church went out of its way to welcome us.