September 29th 2010

Each week the amount of food we have varies. Last week we had tons of things to chose from and this week the miscellaneous shelf was almost empty. I never knew private donations made such a huge difference. I figured that corporations would sponsor the food bank and use it as a tax write-off. I do think that's a major factor, but I'm not completely sure.
Next week I'm going to bring in a turkey for the upcoming holiday season. They make turkey baskets with like stuffing mix and cranberries. It's really a nice touch for families that can't afford it. I also want to bring in some produce from my garden. I have an abundance of lemon cucumbers. We accept a lot of produce, which I didn't think about. I thought it was all cans or dried food. I think that's really cool considering how a diet of all prepackaged food isn't good for anyone.

Meridian Food Bank

I have worked here before signing up for a service learning program. There's something about it that I really enjoy and keep coming back to. Mostly, the job is passing out food to families. We give everyone a basket of dried goods, like cereal, macaroni and ramen noodles as well as a basket of canned goods, like vegetables, fruit and beans. Larger families with seven or more people get an entire extra basket. The majority of people we get are either big families and a person lost their job, immigrants and older people. A lot of the people are embarrassed about getting their food there, especially the people that were recently laid off. I feel for them, because I know that can't be easy. My family has never been put into a situation like that. I'm lucky, and I feel as though I should give back because of it. I know if I didn't have food, I would want people to support me. Overall, I just enjoy the food bank. It makes me feel like I've helped someone, and that feels good.