End of semester

One of our great resources is our connection with the local colleges, particularly UMass. Many students come to us through programs such as "Citizen Scholars", IMPACT and "Dean's Book" classes. All three are organized around the concept of service-learning, designed to enrich students' traditional academic education with real-life experience through rich community-based interactions.

These volunteers play a unique and important role at the center. They tend to be very versatile, which means that they are often able to fill in unexpected gaps. They all seem to take their commitment to us seriously, and to enjoy it. I've found their energy to be unfailingly positive, and in our small space that positive energy is contagious!

This week I was brought back to my previous life as a professor as even ASC became subject to the end-of semester crunch. Students who have been volunteering since the fall began to prepare for their final service-learning class presentations. This process, which involved taking pictures, studying annual reports and interviewing staff, highlighted an additional benefit of having these students here. I realized in particular that their curiousity and willingness to ask questions help us to better articulate what we do, why we do it, and the obstacles that we face in carrying out our mission. As they learn, so do we.

Of course, the downside of this end-of-semester flurry is that we'll lose these students in a couple of weeks. We're looking forward to a new batch in the fall, but the long summer stretches ahead with volunteer gaps that need to be filled. Could we induce local faculty to step in during those months? Stay tuned...

First Impressions

Everyday I am newly impressed by the spirit and energy that pervades the center. On my first day, two weeks ago, I came in, met the staff and then sat at my desk and began the business of managing ASC. My office is in the middle of the kitchen, with windows rather than walls, so from the desk I get to see everything that's happening. When I came in at 8 AM, the kitchen was quiet and empty. As I sat at my desk sorting papers and making schedules, I began to wonder how the major activities of the day--hot lunch, distribution of fresh food and staples--were actually going to happen. The quiet continued. I started to get nervous that there was something I needed to do to jumpstart things that nobody had told me...

Then around 9 two volunteers walked in, said hello, and began sweeping and mopping. A few minutes later I heard an excited warning that carts of bread were rolling down the ramp into the kitchen, and then suddenly the whole place came to life. From every door, volunteers appeared and started chopping vegetables, cooking, bagging bread to be distributed, recycling cardboard, and sorting donated food and clothing. The day had really begun! This burst of positive and joyful energy, the incredible warmth and generosity of our volunteers and donors, is a powerful expression of the success of the center in fulfilling its mission of both feeding and empowering consumers. I feel lucky to have a job where I get to watch that come to life every morning.

Hello!

This month I took on the job as director of the Amherst Survival Center. I am honored to have the privilege to lead such a great organization. I hope to use this blog to keep people up-to-date on what's happening at the Center as we embark upon our second thirty years!