#ckwab

Our Last day at the Central Kitchen was an eventful one.  I went out in the morning and served breakfast to many people with the First Helping Program.  I also helped prepare the evening meal at night by chopping potatoes. 

This week has been an incredible, eye-opening experience. We have had a wonderful time feeding the souls of the city and preparing food, but we are forced to ask- what does it really mean to fight hunger? Sure, we can do plenty on an individual scale, and even on a large scale, but there is no easy solution to this problem. It is horrible to see people go hungry, but it is a problem that has been around since the beginning of time. Back then, it was whether or not crops were plenty enough to last through the winter, but now it is more a matter of circumstances. Both of these things are out of the control of the people affected by hunger. One thing that we have heard over and over again from the staff at DC Central Kitchen is that the people we’re serving are most often put in this situation by circumstances that are out of their control. I think it’s important to note that the life we live one day can be turned inside out over a matter of weeks or months. In reflection tonight, David asked us to write down our definition of food justice. Everyone had great responses about using food as a tool to improve our communities. One of the most important things to remember as we give people food is that there has to be something beyond just that. A major reason why DC Central Kitchen is so successful is that they have programs to get people back on their feet, rather than just throwing food at them and hoping they

figure it out. Overall, my volunteering experience this week has been a great way to get a closer

Today was an intense day, I did first help in the morning and meal preparation in the afternoon session. I started to feel the Central Kitchen activities are all implementing the original idea of the founder, which was “use fool as a tool” to bridge a relationship between the people in need of food and us as purveyors. Especially today, when the volunteers were supplying the food to the homeless people, the supervisor James announced to them about the potential job opportunities. But as we noticed, few people in the line were actually interested in it. They were more eager for the food holding in our hands. This phenomenon touched me a lot by thinking about the short-run benefit produced by offering food. This action feeds the stomachs but sadly not the souls. I think more combination style programs need to be launched together with the food supply.

So today was a pretty long day. We started off the day by distributing meals around DC again, and then we came back to the Central Kitchen to work a shift of prepping meals. It was all a bit tiring, but knowing that it was for the benefit of people who really needed it all made it well worth it. Since today was my second day of serving meals with the kitchen, I was able to pick up on a few things that I didn’t before. I found it interesting that I recognized many of the same faces from the first time. This just goes to show there are many people who would persistently be going hungry without the assistance of programs such as the ones provided by the Central Kitchen. I also learned something new today. Apparently the third stop we make on the trip around DC is referred to as the “Hot Spot”. It’s called this because it’s a place where a there’s a lot of homelessness, hunger, drug abuse, etc. I think this really reflects how all of these problems are interconnected problems. It’s really more than just hunger. Food is simply being used as a tool to reach out to these people. For instance, if you ask a stranger what’s going on in their life they most likely won’t just open up to you on the spot. However, if you provide them with food and kindness, they are much more likely to open up to you. This way you can get to the real root of the problem and come up with a more permanent solution. That’s why in my opinion, there should be more programs that target these social issues in a very social way. These people are more than just numbers and statistics, and they deserve to be treated that way.

Today, I got to experience both sides of campus kitchen: first helping and meal prep. In the morning we went out with another outreach coordinator, James, and a new volunteer, Zac. It was the same exact routine as on Monday. We made three stops again around the D.C. area. In doing so, I was able to recognize some familiar faces. One thing that James said that stood out to me was that they use “food as a tool to build relationships,” which is something that I noticed today. While we are serving food, James was helping out some other people fill out paperwork, look for jobs, obtain a birth certificate, and much more. It really goes to show that D.C. central kitchen does much more than serve meals and prepare food. After we came back, D.C. central kitchen prepared for us and other volunteers a delicious lunch. After that, Crystal, Joy, Brittany and I got to work in the kitchen doing meal prep. As they were cutting onions, I sorted out and packaged tomatoes. We worked for about 3 hours. It felt good to know that we played a part in assisting them prepare some of the 5,500 meals they cook each day.

The reflection tonight really got me thinking about the polar opposites that exist in one city. Brittany showed us a slideshow and we had to compare two different images from two very different sides of city. Some comparisons that came to mind when looking at these photos were: crowded vs. not crowded, healthy vs. non-healthy, community vs. solitude, elegance vs. plain, purpose vs. aimless. It’s crazy to see the differences in two places that are in close proximity to each other.