NYCP Volunteer Reflection

Fairly smelly trash was nearby
so face looks a bit funny

     Over the summer, I volunteered for an organization called New York Common Pantry. This orgainzation seeks to help resolve hunger in the city by giving food to those in need for free. I volunteered here as a choice pantry and hot meals volunteer, my duties consisting of packing orders for people picking up food and serving ready-made meals to people coming in for supper, respectively.
     My experience volunteering for NYCP made me appreciate those who volunteer for these types of tasks. I witnessed first hand how you must work fast to keep up with the demand of orders. Packing orders often means going back and forth, place to place, just to pick up a certain item that is part of the order. Some orders are big and get heavy real fast, making it harder to pack the rest of the order. If you're not quick, orders can start pilling up so speed is essential to the process. I volunteered here for only 2 days but some people volunteer there for months on end. It's important to keep in mind that these people don't get paid yet they put up with this type of work just for the sake of helping the less fortunate. Many don't like working in physically demanding conditions but the fact that some will consistently do so just to help others even when there is no personal gain is a comforting thought.