VOLUNTEERING AT FORGOTTEN HARVEST

HELP CHANGE THE NUMBERS!

It was a cold, freezing winter morning here at Southfield, MI and the agenda for me on that day was to volunteer at an organization called Forgotten Harvest. Forgotten Harvest is a non-profit organization aimed at fighting two problems: hunger and waste. This organization is involved in rescuing surplus, prepared and perishable food from different sources. These sources may include grocery stores, catering services, farmlands, hotels etc. These rescued food stuffs are then repackaged and distributed free of charge to emergency food providers in the Metro Detroit area.

I volunteered as a kitchen help. Basically, as a kitchen help you assist in the repackaging of perishable food for distribution to feed the hunger in the community. Foods of all sorts are continuously brought in from various locations in containers for repackaging. Repackaging of food, which is a core aspect of the organization activities is very essential because workers have to ensure they use the right bags and tags to repackage the food. All the varieties of foods that are brought in have different expiration dates.

During my volunteering process, I was mostly surprised at the amount of food that was being rescued for that day. I was extremely amazed by the quantity of food that would have gone to waste if not for an organization like Forgotten Harvest. The range of food that were brought in for repackaging was sort of alien to me but I could not help but wonder how an organization like this could impact and relieve some level of hunger in my birth country – Nigeria. 


Africa is a continent in which extreme hunger has plagued for a very long time but yet there are flourishing food businesses that can assist in relieving this hunger in their own little but mighty way. Even with the immerse wealth that God has deposited in the soils of this continent, many countries in Africa depend mainly on aids from United Nations (UN)  and developed countries to help relieve hunger. Within a community, a group of caring hearts can decide to come together to rescue food from food businesses and assist in reducing hunger in their community. Take a minute, pause and imagine the smiles you can put on the faces of hungry children and families. You can begin with food from your home... Give a plate of meal to someone in your neighborhood and experience the joy attained in helping a stranger. This volunteer work has opened my eyes to the possibilities that can be attained when people with similar goals and desires come together to promote or resolve a cause.

Forgotten Harvest has challenged me to watch my eating habits. It made me more aware of hunger that is eating people all over the world. It does not matter what nationality, race, tribe or culture you belong to, some form of hunger is always present among people. Every time I wastefully discard food, I am easily reminded about someone who may be hungry just around the corner. I am more mindful to help people in need because just a little morsel of bread can be some ones savior tomorrow.

I am amazed how four hours of volunteering can make you aware of some things that you do not necessarily fix your mind on. Honestly, I was not exactly thrilled when I picked up the syllabus at the beginning of the semester to notice that we would be volunteering. This volunteer work at Forgotten Harvest is my first since arriving to the United States in 2008 and I am sure that this first is a stepping stone to more volunteer works and discoveries ahead of me.