Service Learning Number 3

Hey everyone! I feel like it’s been a while since the last time I posted anything. Today I’m excited to tell you that I finally got a chance to help out at Meals on Wheels right here in Asheville. With my school and work schedules the way they are I didn’t think I was going to be able to get over there but turns out Tuesday mornings is where I can make it happen. I want to give you a little background though into why I chose to help at Meals on Wheels.

I have some fond memories of when I was younger and driving around with my grandpa making deliveries for meals on wheels. I remember the excitement in their eyes when they opened the door to me carrying a nice big box of food to help hold them over for the next week or so. It was a great way to give back to the community that gave me so much growing up. A part of me believes that I left that area better than it was and I’m hoping to do the same with Asheville. This doesn’t mean I’m saying Asheville is a bad place by any means but it doesn’t hurt to try to improve wherever I am.

So today I actually got to help out in the kitchen which is something I never got to do before. I worked with three other guys who have been at MoW for over a decade. I could tell that they smelled the fresh meat. They gave me the once-over to make sure I was competent enough to take instructions. I got into the groove of things and eventually ended up making over 400 pudding and cranberry cups. You could call us the snack pack factory. 

This is going to sound a little redundant if you’ve read my previous posts on service learning but I learned about how much work and the amount of people that goes into making food available for more people in any given area. While I was just working with a few other people there was at least a couple dozen more running routes and organizing the food for logistical support. It was really amazing to see everyone working together. It showed me that Asheville really does care about each other because all of these people are volunteers. I want to help there as much as I can so I will definitely be showing up Tuesday mornings with how much schedule is right now.