Well, as I said in an earlier post, my New Year's resolution is to volunteer somewhere new each month. On Monday night, I volunteered for two hours at the Waukee Food Pantry. The Waukee Food Pantry is organized by the Waukee Area Christian Services and is located on the bottom level of Westview Church. The food pantry is non-profit and is sponsored by area Waukee Churches. They provide non-perishable food and personal items to meet the short term needs of individuals and families. There are no income guidelines, but the recipients must reside in Waukee.
I really wasn't sure what to expect and wasn't too excited to be going by myself. but it ended up being a positive experience. It was two short hours out of my life that I would have wasted watching tv or something, so I was happy to give my time. It was an interesting process. All donated food bags/boxes, etc. are weighed by the volunteers and then the weight is documented. Then all items are reviewed for expiration dates. Finally, the items are brought out to be stocked on the shelves. The individuals/families using this service meet with the head of the program when they get there. Depending on the size of the family, she fills out a form which lists the number of items in each category (pasta, canned fruit, canned veggies, crackers, bathroom items, cereal, etc.) that they are allowed to take and then a volunteer takes them around the shelves to make sure the proper number of items are being taken.
I thought it would be an easy and fast two hours. It was easy and it was interesting to see how this kind of service runs. I enjoyed seeing the people come through and knowing what a big financial help this service probably provides them since they are saving money on groceries. It is hard to make ends meet sometimes, and everyone needs a boost once in awhile. I'm not sure I will be commiting to a set time to volunteer, but I would definitely like to donate towards this organization when I can. One thing that did bother me was the last lady to come through. She had a family of four. I noticed she had her nails professionally done. That made me stop and wonder - if she stopped getting her nails done, would she need to be here? I try to not judge, but seeing that is disheartening. This organization is trying to provide help to those truly in need who exhaust all their resources and still need this help. You wonder if people truly try their hardest or just lean on these programs. Oh well..... What can you do....
I encourage everyone to check out or donate to their area's food pantry. We take for granted that we can afford to go to the grocery store and buy formula for our babies or meals to feed our families. Not everyone has that luxury and it's a good feeling to know that you can help a family out in need.
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