I thought that the teach-in went really well. One good thing that went well during our workshop is that the website was really fun for everyone. It gave them a learning experience while having fun. Another thing that went well was communications between our group members. Everyone participated and explained there PSA’s and there participation work. Also the activity went smoothly with proper instruction. Being a teacher can be hard, but at the same time it is a great experience. It was exciting to explain our project. It was challenging since some kids would talk when they weren’t supposed to. We worked together so that each kid was focused and didn’t misbehave. One thing I would have done differently is the way we went through the activity. We stopped people from playing the donating rice game to tally up the numbers several times. It was great that the kids were so involved, but they often wanted to keep on playing. We should how done one longer cycle so people didn’t have to stop every five minutes. I learned that if everyone one works together, than big donations like these can get done. The setup groups went very well. My group was the video group. In three classes we filmed, revised, and edited the whole movie. It was completed on time with no last minute edits. I thought the assemblies were great because there wasn’t a time were we had to stop or change a line. Everything was fine in its order. The process was that we had to visit five places related to our social justice topic. We then wrote a blog post about each visit. I felt that visiting dates should have been more organized so nobody had to go at the last minute. I liked participating at these organizations because each time I went I learned something new. Next year the teachers should make sure all visit dates are planned within one week so nobody has to go visit and post a week before the teach-in. Lastly I though that everything went well and it was a huge learning experience for everyone.

On Monday I went to All Souls. This is my second time visiting here. Now that I know the place my jobs becomes easier to manage so I can work faster. I went to go help setup and prepare for this nights meal. I started off preparing the dessert for tonight. It was cookies and brownies and I had to put several on each plate. I had 29 plates for the 29 tables. There were 2 tables of 4, 5 tables of 10, and 22 tables of 8. I first took a napkin and covered the plate with it, and then I took a cookie or a brownie and placed 4, 8, or 10 depending on the tables. The two four tables I put four brownies on a plate. Then I used a mixture of tiny and regular chocolate chip and then sugar cookies. I did the same for the table of 10. One important thing is each table had to have the same amount and types of treats. Otherwise there would be fight if someone saw that someone else at their table got a brownie when they got a cookie. I finished by stacking them all on a trey and storing them for later. I then help setup the tables, which is a lot of work since there are 29 tables. I first helped unfold each of the twenty-nine, and then I put a green tablecloth around each one. Depending on the table size either 4, 8, or 10 chairs were setup. Next bowls where put in front of each chair setting followed by silverware, napkins, and cups. Lastly a flower was put on each table for decoration. One thing I like about this place is that everything seems to be organized and they treat people like their guests by making things look nice. This gave a more welcoming feel that makes me happy to always come and help volunteer. This time the job list was quite full, so I only got to partake in several activities. I am looking forward to our teach-in so that I can share all these great places that are helping make a difference.

Today I visited the ALL SOULS soup kitchen. It is located between 78th and 79th street and Lexington Avenue. The atmosphere is different than other soup kitchens and food pantries I have visited. They serve just fewer than 300 on a normal day. They don’t have as many people as Father’s Heart Ministry because they don’t have the rotation process. This makes it less crowded and more comfortable for the people who go there. I helped in the kitchen this time around. I had several jobs over a two-hour period. My first job was to carry boxes out with ingredients for dinner. I then sorted each ingredient in the right slot for easy access. Finally I broke down each box to be recycled. I made a big salad with about 29 bowls. With a little help I peeled carrots, cucumbers, and peppers, while someone else prepared the lettuce. I then cut each vegetable in a different way. The carrots had to be cut thick to go into the food processor. The cucumbers had to be cut thin, and the peppers had to be cut long and then sliced in half. After thirty minutes I finished the salad and carried each bowl to its rightful place. My next job required a lot of patience. I had to take plastic containers and find tops that would fit on top. This was for people to take food home. A lot of people take it home because they don’t want to bring their families there. So I sorted each top with its container and then recycled the rest. During my last job I had to put a piece of bread into a plastic bag and tie it up. After about fifty bags I would but it in a box and move it to storage. I repeated this with five more boxes. The two hours went by quickly, and I helped prepare several meals. Just as people started to eat I had to leave. They have volunteer shifts. For example some of the volunteers will work for the first two hours and prepare everything. Then the other volunteers will serve when people start to arrive. The setup goes from 4 to 6:30 and dinner goes from 6:30 to 8:00. This place is also a church so on the weekend they have services, lectures, and meetings. I liked how everything at this soup kitchen was organized and not rushed. I am excited to come back here for my fifth visit.

On Saturday I went back to the Father’s Heart Ministry for a second time. I noticed most of the volunteers were new and the setup and jobs remained the same. We started of bring the pantry bags upstairs so we could make room for the soup kitchen dinning hall. We cleaned and set each table and then we were given a brief orientation on what to do. I was assigned as a cleaner, which is one of the hardest jobs. We were given latex gloves and an apron. I had to run from table to table-taking away peoples trash and cleaning the tables. There were a lot of spills so I had to be ready with a sponge and a bucket. There were 8 cleaners and 12 tables and 120 people in the room. It starts to get harder because they have what’s called a rotation meal. This means they have a line outside and when someone finishes the next person takes their seat. This happens for an hour and by the end they serve 400-600 people. Some people didn’t speak English that was a challenge because you would have to get a translator to see what they needed. Some people were grumpy. So I had to approach them with a smile and be as nice to them as I can. Some people were extremely nice and wanted to talk to me. One guy told me how great that it was that I was helping feed them. I felt good and worked more and more until the hour was over. At the end we were given a group speech on how we did well and how many people we served. At the end I interviewed one of the main volunteers that has been volunteering since 1984. His name is Perry and he plays guitar when the people are eating. My first question was how long he has been volunteering here. He said around when it opened. I asked why he works to volunteer. He said it makes you feel good that you are helping other people and that at the end of the day you feel really good inside. I asked if this was the only place he volunteered at. He said that he worked at many other places before this one. I asked what he though about the food stamp program. He said that it was a good program but it does what it does and nothing more. He also said that not everyone is getting food stamps because of reasons like financial problems. I agreed and though that some people are afraid of helping organizations and what they will do. I finally asked one main question. How do you think the hunger crisis can be solved? He explained that a lot of things could be done. Like volunteering, if everyone were to help that a problem like that one could be solved. Not just volunteering at a soup kitchen, but in other organizations that would help get some people out of that situation. He finally said, since the financial problems over the past year or two, people have been losing their jobs and homes. Making a 52% increase in people just at that specific food pantry and soup kitchen. So solving this problem just got a little harder. Perry is a very dedicated volunteer that people should listen to if they wanted an inspiration for helping. After the interview I thought on how problems like that could be changed. I am excited to come back and visit again to help out.

On Saturday Benno and I went to the Fathers Heart Ministry on 11th street between Avenue A and B. We worked for 4 hours, which is as long as it opens. On Friday some volunteers bagged 1000 plus bags. Our first job was to do what they called a chain. We walked up a flight of stairs carrying two bags, putting them on the second floor. Everyone took part in this, about 100 people and four trips. Right after each person was assigned different jobs for the whole time. You could be a cleaner, a waiter, a helping cook, and working to restock the bags. Benno and I were both chosen as the re-stockers. With only a little bit of help our job was to bring the bags down when they started to run out. We even got to hand some bags out. Before anyone came the volunteers setup the tables and chairs. Since this was a soup kitchen and food pantry, it became extremely crowded really quickly. Each person eating there could get as many servings as they wanted. That means food had to be made quickly. They also had a band to play music while people were eating. Two facts that I learned were that the soup kitchen/pantry had an increase of 52% of people who went there over the past year. Also in one hour the place serves around 600 people! What Benno and I did was a lot more tiring than it seems. We each had to carry 200 plus bags down two flights of stairs for an hour. Imagine having to run up and down stairs with twenty pounds to carry. At the end I felt satisfied with the work that I did. One person shook my hand and smiled. It shows you something small like a smile can change the mood of someone. The lady who gave us instructions said that people who come in grumpy come out happy because of the service. The people who work there are dedicated. They have been going there for years doing volunteer work. I hope to return and help some more. If you want to see pictures look at Benno’s post.

Today Benno and I visited the food bank of New York City located in West Harlem. We both worked at the pantry. I helped to stock the pantry with all different types of canned goods and fresh produce. I learned many different things from where things are kept to the volunteer work. One fact is that on average they have about 150 people come there everyday. The food bank of New York is only open on Monday through Friday. The way their stock works is that it is shipped from the warehouse to their pantry. Most of their items are put into large freezers and storage. The rest is stacked neatly on their shelves. The system works with points. Each item is a certain amount of points and each person is given a number of points. I learned that anyone could volunteer in the pantry. The kitchen is only open to volunteer for people fifteen and up. I helped stack things like cereal, chicken, farina, canned tuna tomato sauce, oranges, etc. Each item had to be stacked in a neat way so the items are easy to access. The boxes are then taken apart to recycle. I even helped put fresh produce like oranges on the shelf. There are three simple steps to do this. First you take a plastic bag and insert three oranges. Next there is a certain way to twist the bag before tying it to provide maximum room for storage. Lastly each bag is taken to their produce counter, which is then organized onto the shelf. They closed the pantry at 3:30 so we weren’t able to partake in handing the canned goods to people, but we still helped to get their stock on the shelves for the rest of the week. What shocked me were how many people they have to feed and hand out food every day. The volunteers are dedicated to the food bank and they make sure all the work gets done. We were able to ask our volunteer helper, Mike how long he worked at the pantry and why. He said he joined about two years ago and was dedicated to helping people eat everyday. I thought how great it was to do something for less fortunate people. Even though I only got to help in the pantry, I felt good that I was able to take part in this cause. That feeling made me want to come back and help pass out the food to people. It was also amazing how much food they had to move. Imagine a whole warehouse full of food that has to be brought to a pantry, stored, and reorganized on a daily basis. They must need a good amount of volunteers. The setup was like a small grocery store. There were several isles and refrigerators/produce sections. Here are some pictures:

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I am excited to volunteer again at this or another food pantry. This visit has inspired me to help even more with these causes. I am eager to return and I have learned a lot from that one visit.

-Logan