Reflection- Zachary
I never really thought that food insecurity would be an issue on a college campus, but this project and the volunteering that I did for it really opened my eyes to some of the hardships that other students are going through. I also did not know how many programs the university has started that can fix these issues with only a few volunteers and time. I have always loved the feeling that what I am doing will help other people, and this opportunity was no exception. I enjoyed working with the dining halls for the FRN and, although I was not able to work at the food pantry on this campus, I have enjoyed working at other food pantries in the past. I will continue to work with the FRN because I enjoyed how kind the other volunteers were and how we can spend just a little bit of time and still be able to help others
Usually when I work in a group on a project, I get a mediocre group that does not have any interest in anything other than the final grade; however, this group obviously cared about what we were doing and were good to work with. I hope that in the future, when working with people of my major or other majors that relate to what I am doing, my group members will care as much as this group did. I also learned how important taking others’ situations into account can be, and how important working around others’ schedules is. We had a few small hitches in the project, but we were always able to work them out.
This project definitely benefited me personally. I was able to meet new people while working in the dining halls and was able to gain more experience in relating to the situations that other people are in. It is crucial for people to be able to walk in other people’s shoes, so gaining this experience and knowledge will eventually come into play and allow me to help people in the future.
Usually when I work in a group on a project, I get a mediocre group that does not have any interest in anything other than the final grade; however, this group obviously cared about what we were doing and were good to work with. I hope that in the future, when working with people of my major or other majors that relate to what I am doing, my group members will care as much as this group did. I also learned how important taking others’ situations into account can be, and how important working around others’ schedules is. We had a few small hitches in the project, but we were always able to work them out.
This project definitely benefited me personally. I was able to meet new people while working in the dining halls and was able to gain more experience in relating to the situations that other people are in. It is crucial for people to be able to walk in other people’s shoes, so gaining this experience and knowledge will eventually come into play and allow me to help people in the future.
Reflection- Sam
I learned that food insecurity is a prevalent sustainability issue in my own backyard, with almost 1-2 out of every 10 students on campus not knowing where their next meal is coming from. I learned that NC State, along with many other institutions, are trying to address this with things like on-campus food pantries, they’re trying to connect food insecure people on campus with food donations. I learned that sustainability doesn’t have to be limited to large environmental concerns, and that I have a passion for helping others in obtaining things like food and shelter. I grew up very exposed to hunger and homelessness so it was always something I felt sensitive and passionate about, but I never really was able to help and feel that I had a way to help those in my own community with the issue. I personally felt that the Food Recovery Network volunteering shifts were more fulfilling for myself as I’m more aware of the impact the Raleigh Rescue Mission has on the community and it was more hands on. I’m not sure how this would align with my career interests specifically but with things I do outside of work or potentially after working for a while would be giving my time in volunteering to local food and homeless shelters in the community and trying to organize more in the area. I would like to continually help connect resources to those who aren’t receiving them. I learned that many people on a team get into “groupthink” and if one person doesn’t start and take a charge with an idea, you can spend forever brainstorming different ones. I learned that different people enjoy different things within the volunteering, that everyone receives something different during the experience. Professionally this helped me meet people from various backgrounds and mindsets which is always valuable in teaching communication and interpersonal skills. Gaining insight from those who think and learn differently than you do is always helpful in also opening up your mind. For me personally being the only business major in the group and each of us coming in with a different idea of what we wanted this project to be, I experienced this more than in other groups and it was a challenge at first but now I think it helped us to see the volunteering and sustainability issue from many different lenses. After the completion of the mandatory service, I plan on continuing my work with the Food Recovery Network but not the Food pantry because I feel more involved and helpful when working with the Food Recovery Network and feel that I’m gaining more in terms of my individual contribution working with them.
Reflection- Rebekah
Over the course of this project, I learned that reducing food waste is an issue that I am passionate about. This was something that I never thought about prior to the start of this project, but is now something I care about. I learned that one in five college students face hunger, and that there is plenty of excess food on campus. By giving this food out rather than throwing it away, campus can become more sustainable. Working as a team, I was able to learn about better share ideas among the team, and how to efficiently work in smaller spaces without getting in each other's way. This project benefitted me personally by allowing me to help my community, and discover new ways to volunteer. After this project, I plan to continue working with the Food Recovery Network, as I enjoyed volunteering with them.