Volunteerism, community service and service learning share similarities and differences within their meanings. Volunteerism is the basis for both service learning and community service, but not entirely. When we volunteer, we simply perform a task for others without payment. While the idea of community service can be viewed as volunteering for one’s community, it can also be made mandatory by law. Service learning encompasses a structured experience for both the learner and the agency involved with a structured opportunity for guided reflection. There is a reciprocity of benefits between me, my community and The Houston Food Bank. The Houston Food Bank is a non-profit organization that collects and distributes food from various sources …show more content…
Instructions were delivered verbally in a clear and concise manner with easily understood concepts. Our duties were to sanitize each item, check the item for the date of expiry, compare it to the guidelines for expiry and place it into the appropriate sorting bin based on the item’s classification. Excluding the expired dry food that would be used for chicken feed, other expired and damaged items were put into trash bins. Mechanized carts on a track came around continuously for us to place the bins that had reached capacity. Heavy bins were meant for the bottom shelf of the cart, lighter bins were for the middle shelf and empty boxes were meant for the top shelf once you had sorted through an entire box. At this point, we would grab another box from the pallet and methodically sort through it. Thirty minutes before our shift concluded, we were instructed to begin the shutdown process which meant finishing our final box, emptying the bins, wiping down our stations and rinsing our sanitation buckets. Our station had to look as it did when we arrived so that it would be ready for the next group of …show more content…
My team worked effectively and efficiently in helping each other with our boxes when a new box was not readily available. Communication was key in that we made sure each other knew what belonged where and helped when we saw one another struggling with a decision. We all did an equal share of work at a steady pace as the hours passed which provided an opportunity for networking. Networking is the establishment and maintenance of mutually supportive professional relationships over time. It came very natural to us to do so, and I personally had not intentionally set out for this service learning experience with networking in mind. We took the opportunity to introduce ourselves and talk about our professional goals and ask each other questions about them. My team was friendly and that made the overall experience that much more
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
Growing up, my parents and other influential figures around me modelled the importance of community service through their continual volunteer work and dedication to improving the world around them. Whether it be participation in a well-attended project or persistent contribution to a helpful organization, those aforementioned individuals were formative in guiding me towards a path filled with opportunities for having an impact on my community.
The mission, vision, and values contribute to an organization’s ability to reach its desired end state by clearly stating the fundamental principals that will guide the firm’s actions and defines a clear set of values that encourages staff to work towards accomplishing the desired end state. The Alameda County Community Food Bank was chosen for completing a strategic plan. This paper will discuss the strategic plan for the Alameda Community Food Bank, components of the strategic management process that will be analyzed, and how the outcomes will affect the leadership and culture of the organization.
Volunteering at the food bank was an interesting experience. While I was working, I did have time to reflect on the things I was seeing. There were lots of observations to be made. The first thing that caught my eye was the type of people that were volunteering with us. While there was a both men and women helping.
Volunteering is a large part many nonprofit organizations. A volunteer is choosing to donate their personal time and resources to the cause they support. By volunteering, an individual has an outlet to express their values or embrace a particular culture within pout society.
provide service to disadvantaged groups or public areas. While community service has numerous benefits, it only focuses on unidimensional service and caters to a current need setting nothing in place to implement substantial change in the future. In contrast, service learning focuses on reciprocity and sets a foundation to create changes in communities. Service learning is defined as an organized collaborative process that requires individuals to actively participate in service projects. Community service is often viewed as volunteerism rather than service learning. Individuals often times tend to establish barriers between the provider and the person receiving help and never focusing on gaining anything from the group or person being assisted.
Kim, in the United States, grades are not the only factor in evaluating school applicants and job candidates. From Rhodes Scholar selections to college applications, excellence in other areas such as leadership, volunteer activities, sports and arts is equally important (p82-90). In American schools, students are encouraged to do volunteer work. So much so that many schools have guidelines for how much time students are expected to spend serving in the community. Children learn the value of giving from an early age. Volunteer activities is one way Americans feel a part of things and share the goal of serving and contributing to build their communities. From neighborhood watch programs to environmental issues, Americans do not wait for the government to initiate action: they take action to bring about the changes they desire. Therefore, Americans view volunteer work as a way to teach children and young adults values such as cooperation and teamwork, dedication and work ethics, equality and social justice, leadership, generosity and compassion for
A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes to those who have difficulty purchasing enough food to avoid hunger. Food banks are inefficient in aspects of time, money, and effort because so much more can be done through donations of money instead of non-perishable
Volunteerism creates a stronger community in several ways. Generally, volunteering creates a better life in citizens and instills happiness. Specifically, in a survey of 101 randomly selected districts in the UK including districts such as; Bristol,
Volunteering enables a person to develop new skills that he or she would otherwise not have been able to develop. Unlike most other organizations, a charitable organization is happy to give positions to passionate, though inexperienced, individuals who desire to help others and benefit the community. Therefore, an individual with little experience in a field of work can gain meaningful skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, while I volunteered at the hospital this summer, I learned about the daily work lives and professional duties of doctors and nurses. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about these things. I was always interested in the medical field, but volunteering at the hospital let me explore my interests and en...
Without community service, people would not know the meaning of charity and giving back. Community service can be defined as a service that is performed for the benefit of the public. Community service is not a responsibility or an obligation; it is a commitment. A person must want to do it with good intentions and not because they are being forced to do so. Basically, community service is a way for a person to give back to the community in which they live.
leftovers that they can salvage. Food banks are almost the same thing as food rescue, they also work with their local businesses. Except the food rescues will donate five to ten times more food. Some charities will also purchase their food for their local food pantry. They will hold a donation to help raise money to purchase food for their pantry.
Volunteering for high school students is an excellent way to gain new skills and experience and to improve their résumés. The purpose of volunteering is to address community needs in a way that can find a solution. Many schools in the United States of America have mandated in that high school students participate in community service. Further, students must complete a certain amount of hours in order to graduate. However, there are many people who stand against the idea of forcing a student to volunteer, but these people are not aware of how community
As it’s becoming mandatory all around the Us, many kids will just be doing it to graduate high school. Even without the requirement of doing community service, many students will still go and volunteer. Yet, once they reach high school and they’re forced to do it, they might actually feel trapped. Many students and adults alike might feel pressure to do well when they are required to do something, whether it’s for school or for work. With the looming thought of it being required, students might actually not be enjoying their volunteering hours like they used to.
Many students are barely even passing the regular school curriculum, and opponents believe that adding the additional load of mandatory service hours will discourage teens from even wanting to graduate. Also, mandatory service is usually assigned by a court as punishment to delinquents. “In a small number of cases, community service is required by the court system as restitution for delinquent offenses” (Planty and Bozick, 2006). Contrary to this opposing view, helping others is the best feeling that one could ever have. What is a volunteer program?