Today, our group went to the The Food Bank of South Jersey, which is located at 1501 John Tipton Boulevard, in Pennsauken. When we departed the bus, we signed in and each got a volunteer number. Next, we were given a brief tour of the massive and impressive facility, and then we were introduced to Tyree.
Tyree, our host for the day, showed us how we would be sorting out various food items into different gaylords, big boxes used to meaningfully sort types of food items. We had a lot of fun seeing what was donated. We then put one can each from four of the many categories into lots of smaller bags. These packs will be delivered to children in need of nutritionally dense foods. We ended up composing well over 400 bags that contained many different varieties of canned fruits, vegetables, and proteins.
Our next task was to construct and tape cardboard-boxes that were then stacked up in groups of five onto pallets. These boxes will be used for upcoming projects. We took a short break for lunch and relaxed for a little while. As a last act of service learning, we washed the white walls until they were spotless, as The Food Bank is hosting a fund-raising event tomorrow.
Today’s service learning was eye-opening, as we learned of the dire need for healthy foods, and how diligently The Food Bank, and all its staff, works to help southern New Jersey towns. On a final note, we saw MFS was listed among the top ten organizations providing volunteer hours to support the Food Bank of South Jersey. Go, Foxes!