Stephanie Barker 1

Service Learning Reflection

I was initially a bit nervous about his assignment because I did not know what type of

volunteering I would be doing. After reading more into the assignment and seeing examples of

what we could do I became more excited. I used to volunteer at my older two’s school as often as

I could until I had my little one and then my free time became more consumed. So, I was excited

to get back in and offer my help somewhere that it was needed.

I volunteered at the Food Pantry here in Powhatan. As I walked through the front door I

was instantly greeted by the other church volunteers. Everyone was so friendly and excited that

they had a new volunteer. I did not know how they operated; as far as how they handed out the

food and so on. Once I got there and passed the introductions, I noticed that it is set up a lot like

a grocery store. At the front of the building it was full of shelves and refrigerators so that when

an individual or family came in, there was select items that they could shop for themselves.

They took me to the back and showed me the shelves and used a sample list to compare

how the list corresponds with the way the shelves are arranged. The customers are given a blank

list of items ranging from frozen foods, meats, and non-perishable items to select for their

family. Once they are done completing this form, it is brought to us in the back where we go and

select the items and bag them for the customer. If there was an item that was selected but wasn’t

in stock, we just went up and asked them personally what substitutions they would like. I also

assisted in rearranging shelves and putting up over stock that they receive from the food bank in

Richmond and donations from other churches and individuals. There was another RN, who

works in the operating room at St. Francis, running the front desk and she had two of her
 Stephanie Barker 2

children with her. They asked to come back and help me; so, I showed them everything that I

was shown.

I met a couple that was on a twenty-three-month mission trip from Colorado. The

husband had recently retired and they decided to dedicate some of their time to a mission trip.

They did not go into detail about what their trip entailed; only that, between the two of them,

they had a total of ten children and sixteen grandchildren that all lived on the west coast. The

wife was asking me questions about my school and family, so she and I got to talking as we

stocked up stuff and she shared with me that when she divorced her first husband that she too

went back to school; but as a single mom of five until she met her new husband.

Once my two hours were up, Mrs. Nielson (the wife) hugged me and thanked me for

volunteering. She said that she hoped to see me come back and volunteer more. I do intend on

offering more of my time to this facility. Being able to help people in need is always a great

feeling. I honestly did not even know that this place was in Powhatan until I started researching

places to volunteer at for this assignment. I even asked if they would allow my thirteen-year-old

to come and volunteer with me. I feel like it would be a really rewarding experience for him. I

have a great amount of respect for these individuals. Once I talked to these volunteers, I noticed

it wasn’t just something they volunteered for; they go beyond measures to make sure this pantry

is fully stocked. In fact, I learned that the Powhatan Food Pantry is affiliated with Feed More.