Rodger Williams

July 13, 2017

Service Learning Project: Community
DOS 792 Fieldwork II

Giving back to the community is good for the soul. It demonstrates the needs within the
community and gives a feeling of fulfillment. There are so many needs, so it was a
challenge to select one to volunteer for. I searched in both the St. Louis and St. Charles
regions to see what would suffice my personal goals. The St. Louis metropolitan has a
population of approximately 2.8 million people and the St. Charles area has around
400,000 residents. I actually live in St. Charles county, so that made my decision that
much easier. I found a food pantry located at the eastern borders of the county.
O.A.S.I.S. (Outreach Assistance Serving Individuals in St. Charles County) food pantry
has been in existence since 1990. It is completely volunteer driven. Currently
volunteers are represented by 58 churches of all denominations, 48 schools, both
private and public, 82 civic organizations and 152 local businesses. Donations are in
the form of perishable and non-perishable items, personal hygiene products and fresh
produce and meat products. Monetary donations help to purchase the items that are
not donated to provide basic needs of the people and families that they serve. The
pantry provides over 20,000 meals per month.

I called to inquire about volunteering and encountered the director of the organization.
She was a little reserved at first, but after I had the opportunity to explain why I was
contacting her, she opened up to allow me to volunteer at the pantry. I had the privilege
of working for 2 days at the pantry. The following is a description of my responsibilities
on both of the days.

The first Saturday that I went to the pantry, July 1, was not only a food pick up day for
the families, but a major food drive within the community. Local grocery markets in the
area partnered with the pantry for collection of non-perishable items. In the morning I
worked serving lunch to the families that came in for their monthly allocation of food.
We provided grilled hot dogs, a bag of chips, a cupcake and a cold drink. We served
over 35 lunches that morning.

In the afternoon, I switched my efforts to the food drive. At the local grocery markets,
volunteers greeted shoppers and asked for participation in the food drive. A list of
requested items was given to the shopper and then what ever items were purchased
was returned to the volunteer. Items like canned meat, vegetables and soups were on
the list. The list also included breakfast cereal, pasta noodles or boxed pasta dishes and
peanut butter. Throughout the day, 1768 items were collected and brought back to the
pantry. We then sorted and restocked the shelves with the items collected. I worked
doing this for four hours that afternoon.

My second morning at the pantry I spent assembling bags for children that included
breakfast cereal, juice boxes, fruit snacks and a cake mix and a book for their birthday.
As the day went on, I was moved to the warehouse where food recipients selected their
food items from a list that they completed with their social worker. Our job was to fill
their order with items from the warehouse. Canned goods, cereal, meats and pizzas
and personal items were included in the list. If there were any dairy products (milk and
cheese) available, they were added to their basket. Fresh produce was given to each
family as long as the supply lasted. We then took the cart of groceries to the families
and help load the groceries into their vehicles. We assisted 42 families that day.

My reflection on this experience was humbling. I did not know what the need
throughout the community was. To see that so many families rely on these services
made me think of how fortunate I am to be in the position that I am. When we are able
to assist our fellow neighbor in the basic needs of life, the reward is huge. Its in our
nature to help others. That is why I went into the medical profession. The Saturday that
I helped fill orders from the pantry I got paired with a church group. All of these people
are there because they want to give back to the community. I have discussed this
opportunity with my wife and we will be volunteering one Saturday morning per month to
help in this mission. Volunteer opportunities demonstrate how important to give back
and be a member of the team values helping our members of society that are less
fortunate.