Hi! This is Yasmine again.
I still feel like I just came here, and yet half of the time at Durham, NC has passed. It's been interesting working at CEF, as well as engaging in enrichment activities DukeEngage arranges for us every week.
This week, we worked as volunteers at the Mobile Market. The Mobile Market is a service sponsored by community partners that offers free food each month to all that are in need. People receive food either by coming to the spot or giving us the address to be shipped to.
On Saturday, we helped at different sections of the Mobile Market. I started by helping distribute food into different boxes that would be shipped to households. We tried to make sure that each box looked the same, in the sense that all had equal amount of protein, vegetables, bread, etc. Afterwards, I went to another room to help sort collard greens. There were several huge bags of greens and we helped pick out the ones that were good enough to be distributed. We were asked to judge using the standard that if we wouldn't want it, then nor will others, and when in doubt, always throw it out. Around 10:30am, people started coming in through the line to receive food. They went around the room and picked one item from each section. As volunteers, we mostly walked around, checking if anyone needed help carrying things around.
I like the concept of the Mobile Market, and the way it operates. Hundreds of people are served every month, and it's a very tangible help for many families. The Mobile Market helps maximize the utilities and resources of the community, and it's amazing how the community is tied together and cares for each one of its members.
When I was in high school, I once worked in a hotel and saw how delicately food was prepared, as well as how much was thrown away in perfect conditions every day. It mattered to the reputation of the hotel that all dining places, especially the buffet section and executive lounge, should always be filled, looking nice. Thus it was inevitable that much was wasted every day. But meanwhile, there were countless people out there starving. I used to wonder if it would be a good idea to distribute all the wasted food, but we should also admit that there might be dilemmas and complicities the hotel would face. I'm glad that I've been able to see a similar system work out here in Durham.
It has been a great experience looking at Durham aside from Duke, and realizing how this place does not always revolve around Duke as we might've assumed had we always stayed inside the bubble.
I still feel like I just came here, and yet half of the time at Durham, NC has passed. It's been interesting working at CEF, as well as engaging in enrichment activities DukeEngage arranges for us every week.
This week, we worked as volunteers at the Mobile Market. The Mobile Market is a service sponsored by community partners that offers free food each month to all that are in need. People receive food either by coming to the spot or giving us the address to be shipped to.
On Saturday, we helped at different sections of the Mobile Market. I started by helping distribute food into different boxes that would be shipped to households. We tried to make sure that each box looked the same, in the sense that all had equal amount of protein, vegetables, bread, etc. Afterwards, I went to another room to help sort collard greens. There were several huge bags of greens and we helped pick out the ones that were good enough to be distributed. We were asked to judge using the standard that if we wouldn't want it, then nor will others, and when in doubt, always throw it out. Around 10:30am, people started coming in through the line to receive food. They went around the room and picked one item from each section. As volunteers, we mostly walked around, checking if anyone needed help carrying things around.
I like the concept of the Mobile Market, and the way it operates. Hundreds of people are served every month, and it's a very tangible help for many families. The Mobile Market helps maximize the utilities and resources of the community, and it's amazing how the community is tied together and cares for each one of its members.
When I was in high school, I once worked in a hotel and saw how delicately food was prepared, as well as how much was thrown away in perfect conditions every day. It mattered to the reputation of the hotel that all dining places, especially the buffet section and executive lounge, should always be filled, looking nice. Thus it was inevitable that much was wasted every day. But meanwhile, there were countless people out there starving. I used to wonder if it would be a good idea to distribute all the wasted food, but we should also admit that there might be dilemmas and complicities the hotel would face. I'm glad that I've been able to see a similar system work out here in Durham.
It has been a great experience looking at Durham aside from Duke, and realizing how this place does not always revolve around Duke as we might've assumed had we always stayed inside the bubble.