Houston Food Bank Case Study

After volunteering three times with the social action committee and high school group from Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church in the previous years, the Houston Food Bank became very familiar both in regards of their history and how their volunteerism works. The Houston Food Bank is a non-profit organization that seeks donations of non-perishable food items to serve the low-income families in eighteen counties across Texas. However, during a recent trip to the food bank with the University of Houston-Downtown College of Business, the interactions with a larger group of classmates became more dynamic. Three main topics involving group work at the Houston Food Bank are service learning, community service, and volunteerism. Service learning

is a method of studying through classroom instruction and community service. The Houston Food Bank is a good example, because it teaches valuable lessons about how their organization works and how it involves working together to help a community. Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for no financial gain. For example, while working at the Houston Food Bank, the main goal is to donate the available time to assist the organization. It is also a way someone can give back to the community. The organization runs on volunteer work and donations brought in from all over the city.

Community service occurs when a group of people comes to work together for the benefit of an institution. For instance, the Houston Food Bank may be a requirement for schools, but it helps aid those in need. These all tie together because they show how a group of people can learn from their experience. These have differences, though. For example, while volunteering is just doing a good deed for the community, service learning is actually learning from this experience. Volunteering is also different from community service, because volunteering is broader than community service. These do have similarities though; for instance, a lesson can be learned from both service learning and volunteering, though it is not requirement for volunteering. Volunteering is more for the good of nature to help others. Community service can be similar to service learning because they are both ways of providing a service to the community or a particular

organization.
The Houston Food Bank has been in operation since 1982, servicing 18 counties in Southeast Texas.

They are a non-profit organization this collects and distributes food for hunger relief charities. The food bank works with 600 food pantries, senior centers, soup pantries, and other agencies strictly with giving donations. With the help of volunteers, the Houston Food Bank sorts, packs, and re-distributes food to community. In 2008, the Houston Food Bank merged with End Hunger, making more effective use of community resources by working together. During the 2014-2015 fiscal year, the organization successfully distributed 74,000,000 nutritious meals. The organization relies strictly on donations. They, however, will accept monetary donations in order to buy food. For example, in 2002, a privately held supermarket chain in Texas, called HEB Grocery Company, teamed up with the Houston Texans in a campaign called ‘Sacks for Hunger’ where the team will donate $1000 for every sack made. As of 2013, the ‘Sacks for Hunger’ program has successfully raised over $47,000 dollars for the Houston Food Bank, the equivalent of 141,000 meals for hungry

Houstonians.
While at the Houston Food Bank teamwork, communication, and networking came into factor of the nonprofit organization’s success. Teamwork is defined as the cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common cause. For example while at the food bank, groups worked together to achieve a common goal by sorting and repackaging foods to feed the hungry. Communication is the act or process of communicating and the fact of being communicated. While at the Houston Food Bank, communication was displayed by talking with each other in specifying where each product should go. Finally, networking is a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest. Networking was demonstrated by working with one another in order to help someone in need. Volunteering for the food bank, networking can be displayed by either showing others where specific items should go or telling them what they have done wrong and how to fix it.
Group dynamics is a system of behavior and physiological processes occurring with a social group. Group dynamics can be displayed at the Houston Food Bank by helping your group and showing them what they need to do to efficiently finish their goal. For example, while at the food bank with the University of Houston-Downtown, group dynamics can be displayed by a group of students cooperating with each other and creating a human conveyer belt designed to sort and redistribute food into packages that will be send out to those in need. Group dynamics can also be observed at the Houston Food Bank by interacting with each other and telling each other what we should do to fulfill this requirement.
The Houston Food Bank displays corporate social responsibility several different companies throughout the Houston area. Procter and Gamble is a multinational consumer goods company. For example, they manufacture personal goods and household goods such as prescription drugs and laundry detergents. They work with the Houston Food Bank, by donating personal good and laundry detergents to Houston Food Bank. Another company that works with the Houston Food Bank is HEB. HEB, a popular grocer in Texas, plays a major part in the success of the Houston Food Bank. For instance, they have barrels for canned food donations as you leave the store. The food bank uses a technique called consulting to identify if the candidate is right for the company. For example, if someone feels they help with food related issues, they may call the Houston Food Bank helpline at 832-369-9390. In consulting with Houston Food Bank, one must provide proof that they need food.