Second Harvest of Thought
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Today a group of 30 fellows had the opportunity to see how a food bank looks from the inside. We visited the Second Harvest Bank in Winston-Salem to be specific. For me personally, it was a whole new experience, as I had never been to an organization of such kind before. I’m still amazed how popular civic engagement and voluntary services are in the US. Especially when compared to Europe, and Poland in particular. People feel almost obligated to do something in order to help others. As some of them seem to treat government’s work with a great deal of suspiciousness, they would rather take the burden of ensuring basic social needs on their shoulders, than leave the responsibility to politicians.
After a brief introduction by the staff we were ready to get our hands dirty. My team was responsible for sorting eggs and deciding whether or not they could be further distributed.
Sounds like a not very “enriching” experience, right? Well, but surprisingly it was. Having seen boxes full of perfectly normal eggs, without a crack on them, I couldn’t really understand why they were not good enough to be sold. Apparently, on today’s fiercely competitive market there’s no place for even the smallest imperfection. Torn wrapping, spotty package, dented side? It means it can’t be accepted, even if it could help feed the homeless.
Another thing that struck me was the diversity of the food donated by people. Shelves of the warehouse were bending under the pressure of pastry of all kind, cakes and canned goods. My previous idea of a food bank that collects rice, pastas and groats was totally wrong. The first thought that crossed my mind was that I would love to eat a meal made from all the ingredients laying around me. But then I realized that the food is meant to be given to people that are facing far worse problems than mine. They are homeless, have insufficient funds to feed their families or just found themselves in a difficult situation. I tried to picture myself stepping into their shoes. And then I began to understand why so many citizens are committed to the idea of working for free with the reward being merely satisfaction.
So today’s wrap-up:
-zillions of eggs sorted
-fellows known a little bit better (did I mention that sorting eggs draws people closer?;))
-idea of civic engagement clarified
Aleksandra Syjud
