Julie Coen third post

Hello all! I can definitely say that this was my busiest week yet. I worked Monday through Sunday in order to prepare for, and then help carry out, First Congo’s last monthly distribution of Food for Families. It was intense to see the incredible range of people in need and so amazing to watch veteran volunteers work together in order to handle the crowd and efficiently transport both people and boxes. Even when I needed to leave the makeshift assembly line to do something much simpler, like watching the main hallway, I enjoyed talking to everyone waiting for their name to be called and playing with one boisterous little boy.

However, there were difficult moments. As expected, it was quite overwhelming to work in a room with literally hundreds of families plus volunteers and pretty tiring to sort and carry so much food over and over. I especially struggled at one point when we ran out of finished boxes of food and had to immediately pack approximately fifty more. Between the understandable impatience of those waiting, the confusion caused by each mistake since we were moving so quickly, and the men who were convinced both that my name was honey and that I couldn’t possibly lift the boxes, it was a tough several minutes, probably for all involved. Still, it wasn’t long before we were able to get things moving smoothly again, and I think it’s safe to say it all ended extremely well, as everyone left with huge smiles and plenty of food. I will be helping with paperwork soon to record more exact numbers, but I do know that we gave out thousands of pounds of food to 350 or so families in just a few hours.

We also prepared for the imminent future by reminding everyone that this program will be changing slightly starting next week and then changing significantly as soon as the Food Justice Ministries is able to move into its new space. Basically, individuals will be able to come in weekly rather than monthly for less food at a time but more food overall. This will increase convenience, reduce money spent on delivery, and even better distribute the pressure that this program is under. In these ways, it’s actually a really good thing that today we completed the last monthly Food for Families. We are now really ready to expand into all the possibilities of our new space and the programs planned for it. It’s going to be awesome!