I volunteered at Partners for World Health first on 3/25, I had volunteered there last semester and I loved it. Last time when I volunteered, I made IV start kits and helped organize the incontinence items. This time I started by organizing and sorting scalpels and blades but the I was put in the wound care section. In the wound care section, I sorted tape and bagged them by size to send to Ukraine. After I packaged up tape, I helped sort through the wound care supplies and banded like items together and then organized them by their expiration date. After I finished that task, I then moved on to labeling syringes and needles and weighing them so they could be shipped out. I enjoy volunteering at PWH because you get to see such a variety of medical equipment and become familiar with items. I also enjoy it because I like knowing I’m giving back and helping others receive items that we sometimes take for granted having.
On 4/10 I volunteered for Rise Against Hunger. At this event I helped volunteer to package meals for those in need of meals. At this event we packaged 10,000 meals for those in need which is amazing. The organizer said that 10,000 meals feed a large amount of children for a whole school year. There were different stations that each had a different job to get to the end product of bagged rice, soy, and vegetables packaged in boxes ready to send out. The first station is where all the ingredients are put into a bag then at the second station they were weighed and adjusted based on the weight and then they were sealed. After the bags were sealed, they were set into groups of 36 and placed in boxes and taped up to be sent out. I personally had the job of sealing the bags and then placing them into groups of 36. Volunteering at this event was a great experience it was nice to see so many people come together and give back to the community.
Overall, my service-learning experience at both PWH and Rise Against Hunger were great experiences and I am glad that I chose to volunteer at both. Both experiences had their similarities by providing supplies for those in need but were also different. Partners for World Health involves medical supplies and more organization and sorting, and I got to learn about some medical equipment that I didn’t know too much about. Rise Against Hunger involved more or teamwork and a station system where I learned how to use a sealer to seal the bags of food. My service-learning experience overall was great, and I can’t wait to volunteer at more events and give back to the community.
