Volunteer Experience with my Family

Hi everyone! It’s Audra and today I thought I would write about my shopping experience last week. This was my first time shopping since becoming an intern, and I had been looking forward to it for a while. My parents came and volunteered with me, which made the experience even more special. I have worked on the computer during a few of the serving sessions, but I truly enjoyed being on the shopping side of the operations, where I got to put together orders for clients, and interact more directly with the process that gets food into people’s hands. Now, let’s dive into the session from beginning to end!

Before the session began, my parents came a little early and I got to give them a tour of the office and the warehouse. I loved showing them the space, and they got to see firsthand how special Yad Ezra is and how much thought goes into making the organization run well. Afterward, our Client Services Coordinator, Erin, gave us a rundown of how we shop for the clients and the systems in place for the shopping process. My parents and I were very impressed with how organized everything was. On one side of the shopping space, shopping volunteers grab food off the shelves themselves. Once you reach the cooler, which is in the middle, designated volunteers retrieve the items for you once you tell them what you need. This is especially helpful for the cooler, since it holds meat on other cold items, and it keeps everything running smoothly and efficiently maintaining a steady flow, even when the space is busy and multiple volunteers are shopping at once.

We had the opportunity to shop as a family, which meant that we completed each order together. For our first run-through, a seasoned volunteer walked through the warehouse with us, which was incredibly helpful. By the time we were ready to shop on our own, we felt prepared, and the process was easy to follow.

The last time my dad volunteered at Yad Ezra was probably 10-15 years ago, and he said the way the sessions run now has improved significantly – he was impressed with how everything was set up. It was fun hearing him compare notes and point out how much more efficient and welcoming the space has become over the years.

I had previously only observed a Monday/Wednesday daytime serving session, so I was surprised to see how many clients came through on a Thursday night. Even with a lot of volunteers helping out, I did not expect us to complete as many orders as we did. It really puts into perspective just how much need there is in our community. From the time the session started to when it ended at 8:00pm, my family and I shopped for around 10 orders.

The whole session was very impactful, and I loved how my family got to experience it alongside me. It’s moments like these that remind me why volunteering means so much. That night, we left the session feeling good and we reflected on the experience over Chinese food!