Community Service Project

The Experience

I completed a total of eleven and a half hours over a span of three days, at the agency of St. Mary’s Food Bank. At this location, I helped assemble food packages, which were then distributed to needing areas. The first two days were completed in the main assembly line building. There, I completed two main activities: assembling and filling up the paper bags/boxes. In order to have objects to hold and distribute all of the donated items, sturdier bags and boxes had to be created. For the bags, we simply, placed one paper grocery bag into another and sent them down the line.

Here, Jake Hewitt, Alana Turner, Jonah Tenorio, Sarah Schenck, & I are preparing bags.

Boxes, on the other hand, came from two sources: old tomato storing boxes and self assembling. For tomato boxes, I had to open up boxes, which were recently used to carry tomatoes, to verify that the boxes were dry with no left over tomato residue. If they had mold, the boxes were torn apart and sent to recycling. If they were clear, they were sent down the assembly line to be filled. The bags and boxes were then placed onto the assembly line to be filled up with canned goods, including: cereal, juice, vegetable and fruit cans, and soup.

Jonah Tenorio, Alana Turner, Sarah Schenck, & I in an assembly line.

Once these packages were filled, they were then loaded into bigger paper bins. The bags had to be rolled up, like a gigantic sack lunch, and placed into the bins, while the boxes had to be sealed. On the third and final day of my volunteering, I worked in a smaller building towards the right hand side of the main building. The entire process was exactly the same; however instead of assembling canned goods, I assembled fresh produce.

Filling up the bags with fresh produce. In this case, cherry tomatoes.

Bags would be placed into shopping carts, sent down the line to be filled with produce such as: onions, carrots, celery, mushroom, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and parsley. Then, the finished bags would be loaded up into big bins and sent to refrigeration.

Me, placing the finished bags into bins.

When the end of the day came and all sessions were completed, the teams had to clean up their stations by sweeping up the floors, disassembling the boxes which were remaining, collecting fallen cans and condensing assembly line rollers. This occurred in both buildings.

Ashleigh Sherman, breaking down unused boxes.

The Definition

Although Americans, believe and support a capitalistic society, many feel that the nation is obligated to improving the living conditions of the worst off. The government was constructed for the people and by the people. As a result, people must be informed and engaged in their own governance: a.k.a. civic duty. Civic responsibility is defined as having “the intention to serve others, believing that helping others is ones social responsibility, and having tolerance and appreciation for human differences”. Thus, the term “civic duties” cover a broad range of categories. The most popular form is volunteering. However, citizens are not limited to this single one. Political participation is another. Voting, practicing civil disobedience with petitions, and attending community meetings, are all additional options for citizens to participate and contribute to their society (Civic Responsibility: An Essential Ingredient For National Development).

Civic duty has dated back to the Roman and Greek times of B.C. (DuBuse). However, with the construction of the Constitution, it became the outline for democracy: “we the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States” (Douglas). Since then, the acceptance of civic responsibilities has just multiplied. During the 1900s, the number of voluntary fire departments popped up profoundly. People formed organizations to decrease pollution and to protest at college campuses in order to protest the Vietnam War. Political participation, during that century, exploded. About sixty three percent of the nation was voting voluntarily in elections and successful civil right demonstrations were moved (Stoker). Martin Luther King led multiple revolutions and later, citizens even attempted to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. These great leaps forward, were mainly due in part to the increasing wealth of the nation, dating back to the 1800s. Because of the overwhelming prosperity, the government was able to take on large projects which enabled more economic equality.

Sadly, this roll slowed down to a stop and began to ricochet backwards. Towards the end of the late 1900s, membership of social organizations decreased, volunteer participation also decreased drastically, dropping from nearly sixty percent in 1998 to forty percent in 2001 (Schneider, Giving and Volunteering in the United States 2001). Thankfully, this sudden decrease disappeared in 2005 and has gradually increased since. This is probably due in part to the matured generation of the Baby Boomers. The majority of volunteers are older members of society, whose participation outnumbers other age groups because of time surplus. As a result, because the number of senior volunteers has increased, there has been an increase in civic duty participation. Nonetheless, when they are gone, a drastic decrease in volunteers should occur (Volunteer Growth in America).

Thus, because of this depressing epidemic, the rebirth of civic virtue must occur. When a citizen engages in unselfish acts, they are able to uphold the true democratic values of the Constitution. Schools and other organizations, such as churches, must promote and inform younger generations of these actions, in order to form more active adults, who contribute to their community and to their government.  This democratic government can not survive, if it were not composed of the people. These forms of socialism do not only satisfy the thirst of humans for socialism, but also provide citizens the opportunity to form groups that are capable of projecting their community forward. The existence of a citizen is not measured by their sole physical presence in that nation; but, by the actions and the involvement in their community. Their affects on that community are what distinguish and recognize their existence.

The Analysis

It is estimated that “one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed, and one-third is starving”. Four million people will die this year due to starvation, which is equivalent to a famine related death occurring every 3.6 seconds. As of 2010, every eighth person living in the United States is considered to be living in poverty and Arizona is worst off, counting every seventh person of its total population. Eight hundred thousand people in Arizona are living in poverty, and of this amount, 312,966 are children under the age 18. The remaining numbers are in large part, in account of elders of age sixty-five and older. By the end of the year, experts are estimating that the number will steadily increase to one million Arizonans and because Arizona’s population continues to increase, the numbers will just continue to climb (The Issues).

St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance is attempting to calm the flames, by nourishing the needs. It is a proud branch of Feeding America, which is “the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization”. The organization helps feed more than 25 million people from all fifty states, which includes 9 million children and 3 million senior citizens. As a member of Feeding America, St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance is also a nonprofit organization that assembles and distributes food to needing areas. For the past fifty years, the Food Bank has eased hunger in Arizona, by providing almost 300,000 meals a day. Out of the fifteen counties in Arizona, the Bank helps serve thirteen of them, through food distribution and kitchens. Besides providing nourishing food, it also informs citizens of the growing epidemic in attempt to alleviate hunger (About Us). It offers a Hunger 101 curriculum, which aims to open eyes from all age groups (children, teens, and adults). The organization also offers training programs to give low income people with the necessary skills to work at food serving industries, in order to decrease unemployment. Furthermore, the Bank continues to collect donations from multiple areas, in order to continue its success. Donations include physical donations of money (from individuals and corporations), time, and food, which is donated by individuals, groups, corporations, manufacturers, food wholesalers, grocery stores, restaurants, growers, and food drives (FAQs). These valuable gifts are promised to be used sufficiently and sensibly. Every dollar contributed provides about seven adequate meals, which are sent to senior citizens and families with children, which account for the majority of the populous served by the organization (About Us).

This specific Food Bank should be applauded for its success. It has multiplied and matured from the dining room sized food storage center, to the multi-building sized food bank of today (The History). Between the years of 2007 to 2009, the amount of distributed goods increased as much as fifty-six percent, and continues to grow (Financial Information). It currently distributes from 50-65 millions pounds of food to counties all over Arizona, which is a great shift from its first 250,000 pounds, dating back in 1967  (The History). Without the local community, there would be no St. Mary’s Food Bank Agency. Citizens must host food drives, host Hunger 101 banquets, donate monetarily, and volunteer as individuals or under agencies/groups: such as, churches and schools (How You Can Help). The entire program heavily relies on volunteers and civic duty for its entire success. At the specific St. Mary’s Food Bank mentioned in the very first essay/paragraph, in just one day the Hoby group of the volunteers were able to package and assemble 600 boxes or 1440 pounds of food, which is equivalent to 1440 meals. These numbers are from only one shift, from one day, and one food bank. There are five major St. Mary’s statewide, all of which have two shifts daily. The amount of work and success of these banks can only be imagined. 

The warehouse of St. Mary's Food Bank.

Works Cited

"About Us." St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://www.firstfoodbank.org/about.html>.

"Civic Responsibility: An Essential Ingredient For National Development." ::-::WELCOME TO OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF HALLMARKS OF LABOUR FOUNDATION. 30 Nov. 2004. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://www.hallmarksoflabour.org/civic.html>.

DeBuse, Mark R. "The Citizen-officer Ideal: A Historical and Literary Inquiry." Web. <www.usna.edu/ethics/Publications/DeBuse.pdf>.

Douglas, Amy J. "Government Is Good - Government as the Champion of Justice, Equality, Freedom, and Security." Government Is Good - An Unapologetic Defense of a Vital Institution. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://www.governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=12>.

"FAQs" The Daily Platter | Behind the Scenes at the World’s First Food Bank. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://firstfoodbank.wordpress.com/faqs/>.

"Giving and Volunteering in the United States 2001." Web. <http://www.independentsector.org/uploads/Resources/GV01keyfind.pdf>.

"The History." St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://www.firstfoodbank.org/history.html>.

"How You Can Help." The Daily Platter | Behind the Scenes at the World’s First Food Bank. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://firstfoodbank.wordpress.com/how-you-can-help/>.

"The Idea." St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://firstfoodbank.org/hunger101/idea.html>.

"The Issues." St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://firstfoodbank.org/hunger101/idea_issues.html>.

"Hunger 101." St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://firstfoodbank.org/hunger101/program.html>.

Schneider, Maria. "Day Traders." Cincinnati Magazine Feb. 2001: 49. Web.

Stoker, Gerry. "Political Citizenship in National Democracies Under Threat: Dimensions, Causes and Responses." Http://www.soton.ac.uk/ccd/events/SuppMat/prospects%20for%20citizenship%20book%20stoker%20first%20draft.doc. Web.

"Volunteer Growth in America." Web. <http://www.serveminnesota.org/PDFFiles/VolunteerGrowthReport.pdf>.