In this essay I will be reflecting on my service learning experience. I performed my service by helping out at the Idaho food bank along with fellow students. The mission of the Idaho food bank is “to help feed, educate and advocate for Idaho痴 hungry through collaborative partnerships to develop efficient solutions that strengthen individuals, families and communities.” The Idaho food bank work to distribute free food assistance to needy people and families and offer direct-service programs that serve to offer good nutrition to help keep communities and families healthy. Their vision statement is “A hunger-free Idaho”, and in a year they successfully handed out over 135,000,000 lbs of food, which is more than 10 million meals, via their web of over 230 associates who are based within the community. It is a non-profit, donor supported independent organization which has three warehouses located in: Pocatello, where I served, Lewiston and Boise(Idaho food bank).
Volunteers are crucial to the Idaho food bank, and make the mission possible. I learned that there are thousands of volunteers of all age groups across the city who generously dedicate a number of hours each week to help their community and those in need. Some help out a few hours a week in between their regular job, while others volunteer full time. Volunteers assist in warehouse duties and redistributing food for people who are on the breadline, and help at fund raising events .
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"Reflection on Service Learning Experience".
Before I performed my service, I was just expecting to see that assistance was for street people and those with substance abuse, but when I found out more about the Idaho food bank I found out many things that I did not expect. I had no idea of the scale of their operation, and that thousands of Idaho seniors, families and children were helped as they are living hand to mouth. I also saw that the project is fully stretched to the limit as the demand is so high.
My service helped me understand poverty in Pocatello because it made me see the broader picture and made me see the reality of all the job losses and what the fall out from the recession and banking crisis since 2009 has done to people from all backgrounds who cannot escape the poverty trap. It also made me consider those who are homeless, and realize that some of them used to have good jobs, but they became unemployed or could not afford to pay the large bank charges on their homes so they lost them. I had not really though about these issues before, and had no idea that some of the major stores regularly give food to the Idaho food bank.
My experience allowed me to learn something new about Pocatello, its people and their status, and that is that there is a large network of unseen people in this region that are suffering unimaginably, we take our meals and having food whenever we are hungry for granted, but they do not have this basic human right, and that is where the Idaho food bank steps in, to guarantee that they will have enough to eat and fulfil their nutritional needs. One of the valuable lessons that I experienced was that volunteers are wonderful people who we should respect and admire, and that if we were ever in need of food assistance, we too would be reliant on them. The only point that I found irritating about my experience was learning that the Idaho food bank is stretched to full capacity, and is only just meeting demand, and that their need for help and resources is not being met.
