LOAVES AND FISHES

I have been able to have the great opportunity to volunteer at Loaves and Fishes at their St. Stephens (Minneapolis) Location. Efficiency and teamwork are necessary skills for us to serve 150+ meals a day. Preparing and serving food to our guests has been a great time and more importantly, a time to reflect on my own life and be thankful for everything I have been fortunate to have. 

A big skill that was used every day was being able to communicate effectively with other volunteers and guests. A time when this had to be used was a day when we were low on volunteers to prep and cook the meal for that night. This meant a lot of multi-tasking in regards to preparation and being vocal about which tasks were done, being done, or still needed to be completed. It went from a possible chaotic situation to a busy, but calm and fun experience that was really rewarding at the end when I was able to see how much we were able to accomplish while being slightly understaffed

A time when I was able to demonstrate strong leadership skills was during one of my last volunteering times. I have been at the site for around 1.5 months at this point and was fairly comfortable with how everyday things were done and where specific items were. This came in handy when a volunteer group that comes in once every 1-2 months came in.  I was able to help answer some simple questions that they had or show them a bit of the way in which we served food and other things. 

Another transferable skill that I was able to use and incorporate into my everyday life was better time management. Many times throughout my volunteer experience, we had to get certain tasks done in a timely manner so we could be read at a specific time to serve the meals. This skill also helped me maximize the amount of work I was able to do and help out with throughout the day, which will definitely help me out in my school work and in the future in my professional work career.

If you have an interest in apart of this great organization, click the link to learn more!