My Summer Excelerator Experience by Sarah Ginsberg
I’ll never drink apple juice the same. This summer I participated in the Bronfman Center’s Summer Excelerator internship program, which gave me the opportunity to volunteer at the Met Council, America’s largest Jewish charitable food pantry. While working at the Met Council, I participated in many tasks such as: packaging produce bags, working one-on-one with clients, assisting staff with office work, creating boxes with client’s food orders, and helping with the Met Council’s mobile truck. In addition, I learned about Met Council’s Digital Choice Food Pantry System which gives clients the opportunity to order food packages online and schedule when they want to pick up their package.
Since some of Met Council’s clients don’t know how to use the online system or don’t have the resources to do so, the Met Council staff conducts individual calls to clients who don’t/can’t place their order online, and submits their orders for them over the phone. Though it took some explaining, I got the hang of how to find client numbers, calculate how much food they are eligible to receive, and place their orders. I was given a list of all the available food, ranging from canned food to fresh produce, and the amount of points each food contained. I called each client from the spreadsheet, asked them one by one if they wanted each product, and submitted their order. “Canned Peaches”, “yes”, “Okay, that’s 10 points” “Canned Yams”, “no thanks”, “Rice”, “yes my kids love that”, “No problem, that’s 7 points”. The amount of points each person received was based on their family size. It was a pleasure making these phone calls since the excitement of each client was transparent. One call, though, left behind an undiscovered appreciation of mine.
When I called one number, an older Russian woman answered. She was enthusiastic about all the food I listed to her and explained to me that she had a family of seven, who were all eager to receive the food. When I read “apple juice” there was a pause and a moment of silence. “Miss, are you there?” I asked. She then exclaimed that she was overwhelmed with joy to hear that apple juice was on the “menu”. She explained that her kids love apple juice and that the last time she received a call there was no apple juice left in the warehouse. She thanked me over and over and though I could not see her it was clear in her voice that she was smiling. She said that the call made her day. Later that week, I opened my own fridge and saw a bottle of apple juice. I remembered how appreciative the woman was for something I have regularly in my home. Since working at the Met Council I discovered a newfound appreciation for the simple things. Being able to eat without worrying is something I won’t take for granted ever again.
