Olivia with one of the kids in Cedarvale Village meal site

Working with United Way and Hunger Intervention Program (HIP) as an AmeriCorps VISTA intern this summer has been both challenging and rewarding. An average day for me and my fellow interns consists of a combination of outreach, meal prep, handing out lunch and snack at meal sites, planning activities for kids and teens, and cleaning up at the end of the day. Our days typically start at 9 or 10 in the morning, depending on whether or not we have morning meal prep or outreach planned, and last until about 5. However on Wednesdays and Mondays half of the interns stay late from 5-7 for evening meal prep.

At 11 AM we start packing our coolers and are ready to leave for our respective sites at 11:30. One of the most unpredictable aspects of our job is anticipating how many people will come to our sites and whether or not we’ll be able to entice them to stay and engage in the activities we have planed! However, if you can rope them in, seeing how excited they get to learn a new game or craft is the most rewarding feeling. We hand out meals and lead activities for an hour, then pack up and head back to the church for our lunch. Running around with kids really works up your appetite!

Once our lunch is over we decide which two interns are going to Lake City Community Center to do the first snack shift from 3-3:30. While they’re gone the rest of us clean up the mess we’ve made earlier in the day (dishes, compost, recycling). Once they return, two other interns leave for the second snack of the day at Jackson Park Apartments from 4:30 to 5 and the rest of us tie up any loose ends at the church. When second snack is over and everything is where it’s supposed to be we say our goodbyes and see each other the next morning.

On top of the awesome kids and teens at all of our meal sites, my coworkers and our incredible volunteers make this one of the most enjoyable jobs I’ve ever had! I’m so thankful for their positive attitudes and endless sense of humor and am looking forward to the rest of the summer!