The second visit to the food bank marked another significant step forward for the

"Emerald Campus Food Fighters" project. At this event, we visited a new Mid Ohio Food

Collective location, and again had a very positive experience helping the local

community. We checked in clients, organized and restocked shelves, and assisted

clients with questions and problems. This event saw improvement from the previous

event, both in planning and execution.

In planning for this event, I wanted to begin recruiting volunteers much earlier, so

as not to have any problems with not having enough volunteers. I set the ambitious goal

of 18 volunteers, and had roughly 1 month to meet that number. I tried different

avenues, such as sending out updates through Schoology, and asking previous

volunteers if they were interested in another opportunity. By the end, I was able to get

15 volunteers, which was nearly enough to reach the goal. In the future, I hope to be

able to fully reach the set goal of volunteers.

Despite not reaching the goal, the high amount of volunteers made planning

much easier. It was a much smoother process getting volunteer information and sending

it to the Mid Ohio Food collective. I made the improvement of creating a GroupMe to

make communicating to the volunteers easier, and also made sure that every volunteer

had all the proper waivers in advance to avoid any hiccups on event day. Additionally,

the increased number of people meant we could have a much greater impact, reaching

more people in the community and ensuring that all clients had help available during the

event. We had a mix of previous volunteers and new volunteers, and I saw some great

interactions with previous volunteers helping new volunteers with different tasks, helping

to create a more cohesive and united team effort.

 Compared to our previous visit to a different Mid Ohio location, there were more

tasks available, which led to a generally more fulfilling experience as there was always

something we could do to continue making an impact during our time there. Some of

our volunteers stepped out of their comfort zone as risk takers and took on new

responsibilities, such as checking in clients. Although there was some initial discomfort

and a few hiccups, we all eventually settled into our tasks quite well. It was amazing to

watch our volunteers expand their skill sets while interacting with the community.

Reflecting on this second visit, I am filled with a sense of pride and gratitude for

the progress we have made as a team. Each volunteer's contribution, no matter how

small, has contributed to our collective impact in combating food insecurity within our

community. Moving forward, I am excited to build upon this momentum and explore new

avenues for collaboration and advocacy. As we continue our journey with the "Emerald

Campus Food Fighters" project, I am confident that our efforts will continue to sow the

seeds of positive change, leaving a lasting impact on our community.