By Shelly Zou

The Food Pantry

I believe it was our third time volunteering and we decided to help out in the food pantry.

It is a different setting than the kitchen, but also a vital part of the mission of food banks. We set up and restocked canned foods on metals racks in preparation for the people who were going to come. Then we were able to see how donated items were used. Goody bags were created with by mixing the different types of items. A bag could have a box of cereal, canned meat, sweets, and juice.

We spent some time creating the goody bags and then gave one to each family. Later in the shift, we helped give out fresh produce. There was a great abundance and variety in the types of fruits and vegetables that food bank offered.

What I found the most enjoyable was explaining how I would cook and eat certain vegetables. Helping out in the pantry was very interesting and slightly different than in the kitchen because there were more chances to interact with people who came to the food bank.