When we got to the food pantry, we started to notice that there were a lot of extra volunteers there. They were all wearing volunteer shirts, so we figured they were the to help. As it turns out, it was “peanut butter day”. Once a year, Polo Ralph Lauren sponsors this day in which they send some of their employees (there were supposed to be 45 today) to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all day long. The company gives the leader of the activity $5,000, and with that they buy bread, peanut butter, jelly, aprons and rubber gloves. With these sandwiches, the man who runs “peanut butter day” asks all of the food pantries and shelters around New York if they would like any of the sandwiches and if so, how many. For example, Joe asks for 2,000 sandwiches every time “peanut butter day” happens, and allows anyone who goes to the food pantry to take as many as they would like. Some people are allergic, or just don’t like PB&J sandwiches, so instead of putting them in the bags with cans, he leaves them all individually bagged on one of the tables and tells them to help themselves to as many as they would like.

The idea behind “peanut butter day” is that many big companies, (Disney, Polo Ralph Lauren, GoldmanSax) want their employees to help out other citizens. It’s easy for a big company to sign a check and donate it, but for employees, they  often can’t do that. This is a way for companies to support their workers in ways that help people who are struggling to make ends meet. I hadn’t realized that even big corporate companies want to help people out. Joe was telling us that he often receives checks in the mail from people he doesn’t know who give their donations. Today he received a letter from an attorney and inside it was a check for $5,000. As it turns out, a woman found ouut about St. John’s Food Pantry and had left it in her will that she wanted part of her money to go to the Food Pantry.

When I’m on the street and I see someone who’s homeless and asking for money, people around normally just ignore them. I always try and give them a quarter or some food if I have it, and I never understood how someone could walk by and pretend not to see someone so unfortunate. Now I’m seeing that a lot of people do care, but often times don’t know how to help. If volunteer opportunities were more widely advertised, there would be a lot more help. Because I am sure that when everyone sees someone less fortunate then them, they want to help. One  the main issues is that they don’t know how to do so.