Jeremiah's Volunteer Project
Tate
The first person I interviewed was an African American male whose name is Tate. He’s been working for Second Harvest Food Bank for about 4-5 months. He comes in and works “8 hours on the dot” every day Monday-Friday and sometimes Saturday for some overtime. He job title is Warehouse associate or where ever they need him on the current day. He works in the bread and food sorting rooms. He wears about the same thing every week; jeans or sweatpants, and a shirt. It is about a 10 min commute from his home so enjoys it. He is supporting his 4 kids and his “lady” back at home.
He eats and smokes a cigarette on the breaks that he gets. For lunch he eats light; chips, snacks, a slice of pizza, something light to keep him on his feet while at work. What inspires him at his job is that at the end of the day he gets to help people out. He like his job, because it enables him to impact people, even though he can’t always see the actual impact, he knows he’s helping others. He impacts every hungry child and family; while impacting himself as well, because it reminds him that he is blessed to have to not come get his food from a Food Bank like some other do. He originally found out about the job through a job service provider online, Links Staffing. He like the opportunity because of what the organization does by helping others and the time that he gets to work from; 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. He’s glad he choose it though, the job is not stressful and time goes by fast. His first day was confusing though. On his first day he had no direct training, he shadowed someone, and learned about 2% of the job that day, but overall his first day was alright. He has been somewhat promoted since he first got here, because he went from first starting out as a helper for others, to running his own volunteers within the first month. The job has taught him a lot of thing, but one thing in particular that it has taught him is gratefulness. The job taught him to be blessed about whatever he has, because he sees the need in other people when they come in and they have taught him to appreciate everything he has. If he had to describe his job in one word he said it would be the word- easy. They don’t do too much hard work here the volunteers do the most. He like to say “if you go home tired, you’ve done way too much”. In the future he sees himself taking care of his family, building his own house, and working at the best opportunity the future holds for him. Although he did tell me that he wouldn’t apply here again if he had the chance, because he’s used to fast paced work. Here he is just managing people not actually sorting, not to say it’s a bad job, but he is used to and likes fast paced jobs, but he would recommend it to someone who likes slow paced jobs.
I asked him why was the company expanding and he told me it was expanding because the warehouse is becoming too small, and they’re growing too fast for the space that there in now. Their getting in a lot more stuff too and now they need more room to expand. I then asked him what happens after a volunteer sort’s food and he told me that the second shift comes in a loads the trucks that then give it to organizations, which then hand it out to people or schools.
Jerry Needger
The second person I interviewed was Jerry Needger. He has been working for Second Harvest for two years. He loves his job because he gets to impact the community and the difference that he makes while working just makes his day. His official job title is processing assistant. He primarily works with volunteers throughout the day. He starts his day with a startup meeting for the people he manages and goes around making sure that the volunteer stations are set up for the incoming volunteers. When the volunteer’s come in he gives them task based on the priority of what is needed. He generally works 8 hours a day but on Thursdays he has an extended shift so its 12-13 hours every Thursday. On his breaks he reads, even though he doesn’t have many breaks, but when he does he has to use that time to get ready for the next group of volunteers, eat lunch, and then he reads off of his kindle. He likes to cook so whatever he made the previous night is what he eats for lunch the next day, so it varies. On his job when he has bad days he thinks about the struggle that some people go through and when he thinks about the people it reminds him that even his bad days are good. While at his job he says that he impacts all aspects of the community; he works with volunteers to make sure they have a good time so that they will come back and want to volunteer again, he helps out the community, and the people who need the items, because they give out both food and nonfood items to people that need them. The organization even gives out fresh produce and meats into the community, and it’s crucial for proper nutrition, so their helping out a diverse group of people all together.
He originally got informed about the job by a friend who told him about second harvest and how they needed people to help out that had experience in warehousing, managing people in general, and leading groups of people and he knew that was him, so he applied. He had 3 jobs offered to him at the same time with all of the applications he sent out, but knowing what this company does for the community it was a no brainer who he wanted to work for. His First day was a huge learning curve, he came in and did an orientation of the business and codes, then he immediately jumped on a forklift and started unloading the trucks, learned paperwork, etc. It took him about 4 weeks to learn all the jobs in the warehouse for all the different spots that they have here. He first came in only unloading trucks and working with agencies, but now he disperses volunteers 2-3 months later. He wants to stay with the company in the near future and be moved up. He loves working with volunteers but he wants to be a manager or part of the development team, but he is definitely staying with his line of work, because the impact alone is worth him staying. For his job he usually wears a t shirt that second harvest provides them with, nice shoes, and a pair of blue jeans or khaki’s.
He says that the job is sometimes stressful, and sometimes extremely stressful, especially when an extra group of volunteers show up and they’re not planned for it. He might have a station set up for 20 but they get 40 so he has to stop what he’s doing and find something for the volunteers to do, but don’t get him wrong though he says they love the extra help it’s just the unexpectedness of them is hard to manage, but he says the job is no more stressful than any other job. To come to Second Harvest he takes about a 15-20 Minute commute here, but to go back home is about an hour with traffic. That doesn’t affect him though, because he said that he would absolutely reapply to the job if he had the choice again, “in the blink of an eye”. One important thing the job taught him is that just because people have a hard time doesn’t mean that they’re lazy, as some may suggest, they just have had a hard time. If he had to describe his job in one word it would be- impactful, it impacts his life, the community, the volunteers, and everyone that contributes to Second Harvest and impacts them as well.
When I asked him about the new expansion he said that they were expanding, because they struggling to keep up with demand and the supplies that they get in. From start to finish, donations come in, volunteer check condition and sorts food, partnered with other agencies (700+) that come in and ask for supplies, so they give it to them and they disperse it to the people. Also the way the Second Harvest Food Bank works is that they only partner with other nonprofits and when they do give it to the other organizations they can’t sell the items their handing out; it has to be given away for free.