Danielle Edwards

Servant Leadership
Servant Learning Reflection
Noticing & Interpreting:
For our service learning project my group wanted to choose an area that was
near and dear to all of our hearts. All the members of my group have children
expect for myself. So we collectively decided to volunteer at FeedMore, a non-profit
organization located in Richmond, Virginia. Upon volunteering I honestly did not
have many expectations on the organizations because I was not very familiar with
the services they provide. However, I did want my efforts of the day to be put to
good use by being of help to the surrounding communities. Initially, we watched a
short film that described the organization and how they help the surrounding
communities. I learned that FeedMore provides meals to those who suffer from
hunger in Central Virginia. They package up to 3,00 meals per day. Upon hearing
that static I thought this was going to be a very daunting task to complete in just
four hours. However, FeedMore is a very structured and well-kept organization that
has volunteers who come in three separate time frames for four-hour shifts. I think
the support from volunteers in the community is a key component in allowing the
organization to reach their goal. Seeing people from different backgrounds and
ethnicities pull together to help conquer hunger in their communities was an
inspiring moment to be a part of.

Responding:
In participating at FeedMore I learned that there is a much larger issue of
hunger within the surrounding communities than I was aware of. I learned that
FeedMore provides food to the community by collecting, preparing and disturbing
food. The organization is able to provide these services through networking and
through the use of agencies. Whatever is left to provide the organization will fund
itself. Through the help of volunteers and other collaborators FeedMore has been
able to serve more than 28 million meals to those struggling with hunger. I think
FeedMore’s service is extremely relevant to the community because in a census
from 2017 about 26% of the Richmond area is at or below the poverty level. The
static that one in six people in the surrounding community are battling with hunger
could better represent the struggle within Central Virginia. FeedMore is able to help
the people in need by running such an organized operation with help from
volunteers. You have some people who clean the food, some chop up the food, some
cook the food, and others package and store the food. Without organizations such as
FeedMore many people would not know where their next meal is coming from. I
think there are many aspects that factor into homelessness and the ability to have
access to a meal. I believe that if we could hone in on some of those aspects and
improve them we may see a decrease in the percentage of people at or below the
poverty level. As a result decreasing the amount of people struggling from hunger.

Reflecting on service-learning:
FeedMore as an organization utilizes a lot of the principles that a servant
leader would use. A servant leader is a person who puts the needs of others first. I
believe that FeedMore and the individuals who help the organization run smoothly
put the needs of their community first. It is a selfless act to set aside time from your
day to engage in activities that will benefit the life of another. FeedMore has a vision
in mind for the surrounding community. To accomplish that vision they do so by
implementing plans. All the while serving others, which is vital of a servant leader.
A servant leader also shares the power throughout their organizations. The use of
volunteers is an excellent example of sharing power. FeedMore leads with others in
mind. The organization also thinks about how to conquer hunger in the long-term,
which is a characteristic of a servant leader. FeedMore leads by the heart with the
intent to do feed those who struggle from hunger. They also motivate people in
their communities who do not struggle from hunger to provid a helping hand. I
participated in the organization’s intent to combat hunger by coming in to
volunteer. After the heart comes the head. The head consist of a belief system that
is formed from the leader. The founders of FeedMore had a belief that by providing
food to those in need would help decrease the amount of people going without food.
The organization pushes this belief down to those who help fight the cause and do
so by acts of service.
FeedMore utilizes the hands domain by implanting the resources they have
to help serve the community. As stated previously, FeedMore gets donations and
has partnerships in order to get the necessary products to help cook and package
the food. In return they supply those who suffer from hunger in the community
with a nourishing meal. Their efforts are observed as being from the heart and it
motivates others to want to get involved to fight hunger. FeedMore embraces the
head domain by the quality of their service and the respect for the people they
serve. The food supplied does not consist of junk food or a cheap meal. They are
very mindful in providing a well-balanced meal for people. FeedMore even makes
low sodium and diabetic meals for those in need of special diets. This also touches
on the respect that FeedMore has for the communities that it serves. They also
discretely deliver the meals so that individuals battling with hunger do not have
their business broadcast.
Lastly, FeedMore contributes to the habits domain by staying committed to
it’s purpose, vision and goals. Despite the trials and tribulations that the
organization may fast to stay up and running they do not give up. The organization
knows that many people rely on the services they provide and without them they
may not know where their next meals will be. I think this ideal is a contribution to
why the organization is so well structured and operated.

Reflection on Action :
Of all that I experienced throughout my time at FeedMore, the amount of
individuals struggling with hunger surprised me the most. As stated previously I
knew that hunger was an issue in the Richmond area but just not to the extent to
which it is. I may not be able to utilize processing and packaging food throughout
my career as a registered nurse. However, I can use FeedMore as a reliable source
to refer any patients that come on my unit struggling to find where their next meal
will come from. Even though I only spent four hours at FeedMore I did contribute to
the organization’s mission to conquer hunger. I helped to prepare meals for other
volunteers and workers to cook. Once cooked the meals were packaged so that they
could be disbursed throughout the community. I truly enjoyed my time at
FeedMore and making strides to make a difference. I plan on volunteering again in
the neat future.