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Lexi Daman

Civility Project

Roxanne Heimann

16 December 2014

Food Bank

What I did for my volunteer experience was I went and volunteered at the Northeast Iowa

Food bank in Waterloo, Iowa. What we did was we created kind of an assembly line and would

put a bunch of different packaged foods in bags and the tied the bags and stuffed them in boxes.

We also put together these things that were called backpacks for kids which were kind of like the

bags with food in them, but they were more food that would interest children rather than adult

foods while also being healthy for the children. We in total created about ten pallets with about

twelve or so boxes on each pallet containing six bags in each box.

I selected this place to volunteer because it is a place I know already from past

experience. It is a place where I can walk in and practically take control because I already know

what to do. I always volunteer there and have since about sixth grade I love it. It makes me

happy to help families in need of food because it makes me feel like I am giving back to the

community. I am privileged to have food every day, but these families do not get to have three

meals a day they are lucky if they get one so this helps them out a lot. I hear a lot of people

complain about not liking the dining center food anymore, but we should be happy because there

are families who have no food at all and get these bags of food that practically have nothing in

them and they are content with it because they know how to appreciate what they are given and

that is why I chose this place to volunteer.

What I hoped to get out of this volunteer experience was to be grateful for the things that

I am given because there are people out there who have it worse than I do. I hoped to love

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volunteering a lot more by participating in this event. I actually hoped that others not only myself

would get a lot out of this event. I complain a lot about things that are not worth complaining

about like food at my house sometimes I used to complain all the time. I never realized until a

couple years ago how amazing I have it and how amazing it is to come home and have a dinner

ready when others just get a bag with tuna, fruit snacks, juice boxes and chef Boyardee and they

are actually happy to receive those things.

I actually got many things out of doing this volunteer experience. One thing I got out of

this event was what I explained earlier which was being grateful for the things I have because

there are people out there who have nothing at all I am super lucky. I understand now that these

people appreciate the little things we provide them and that is amazing. The most important thing

that I learned now and also in the past volunteering here was some people go there to complete

volunteer hours that may be needed for a class, work, or church credit yes the volunteering was

for this class, but I went there because I wanted to not because I had to. What is the point in

volunteering if you do not want to be there it serves no purpose then. Some John Deere workers

were there with me when I was volunteering and we got there around 4:30 pm and the left by

about 6:00 and I stayed until about 8:30 maybe and I kind of got mad because they obviously to

me did not care at all.

My volunteer experience did not change the way I look at the Food bank other than

wanting to figure out if we can give more. These families are happy to get what they get from the

Food bank, but I want to be able to give them more somehow. They need help and I want them to

get help which I understand may be unrealistic because you cannot always help everyone, but

maybe I can help someone. If I did not like the way the Food bank did things I would not keep

going back to volunteer there I would find another way to volunteer somewhere else. The Food

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bank does great things for people and always has that is the way I look at it. Everyone should

volunteer there because it is an amazing place and is a lot of fun in my opinion.

This volunteer experience has made me look at myself in a negative way. Like I actually

stated before I used to complain all the time about the food that was provided to me at my house.

I view myself now as more appreciative to what is given to me and not complaining. Whenever

my younger sister complains I now give a whole speech to her and she shuts up for the time

being and then complains again so I figure she will learn like I have. I was a terrible person and I

am working on changing that.

My definition of civility was politeness and courtesy with your behavior or a polite action

towards something or someone. My experience at the Food bank added a little bit to the

definition meaning not only is it a polite action towards something or someone, but I also added

a couple words to that definition which is a polite action towards something or someone

willingly and with all your heart and not complaining about it. The part I loved the most about

this volunteer experience was seeing about five younger children in elementary and then three

high school students there volunteering. I like to see that because then I hope they are getting as

much out of it as I am and I think they do when I see them smiling because they seem like they

want to be there.

Overall this volunteer experience I had was awesome and I would not think twice to do it

again since I have done it all these years so why stop now. It teaches you respect, appreciation,

and to be grateful for the things that you do have. I cannot express enough how much I love to

volunteer at the Food bank.

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