Hello everyone, it’s Danae (they/them) again! For all our classes with Coaches, this week was the first of our spring semester volunteer events. Our volunteer events are often a standout In the Lead memory for Young Leaders and Coaches alike, and it only takes a short time participating to understand why. A behind-the-scenes fact is that the ITL team intentionally schedules our initial volunteer event soon after Meet Up, so that matches can see each other in person and continue building connections.
On Monday, our four Discovering Choices campuses volunteered at Community Kitchen, and I was able to show up as both a supporting staff member as well as a Coach. Community Kitchen is a nonprofit that operates to provide accessible food resources for folks experiencing food insecurity in Calgary. Our crew spent the evening packing for the Good Food Box Program, which assists people in being able to buy fruit and vegetables at prices they can afford.
As people arrived, the lobby slowly filled with conversation and the smell of pizza, which is a staple at events. (Pizza 73, please sponsor us.) As I looked around, I witnessed old matches coming together with hugs and excited greetings, as well as new matches, some of whom were meeting for the first time, shyly chatting and looking for more common ground. Not only that, but our team was delighted to see Coaches whose Young Leaders were not able to attend still show up, ready to chip in. Later in the night, a Discovering Choices staff sponsor popped by as well to lend a hand.
The Community Kitchen Volunteer Coordinator extraordinaire, Val, explained the process of how packing would go, and we received expert tips from Coaches, like watching out for spiders (a rare issue!) and bringing your own gloves. Everyone then created groups and dispersed to different stations in the warehouse and backroom, as we had fabric to cut in preparation for other volunteer events. While many gravitated towards others from their cohort, there were also tables where folks blended from various locations. There were also tables where Coaches gathered to get to know their peers.
I believe there is a magic in volunteering and keeping your hands busy that allows people to get comfortable and open up, as it’s much more approachable than sitting face to face and awkwardly making eye contact. Again, as we worked, conversation began to flow quickly. For example, as my table was weighing and bagging beets, we did our best to come up with as many beet puns as possible. We felt very accomplished, although our joke tactics had to pivot when we were then assigned to pack oranges afterwards.
The three hours of the event flew by, and our hands were kept busy with different fruits and vegetables in varying quantities. Strengths like dedication, helpfulness, organization, humour, friendliness, and problem solving were on full display. As the evening drew to a close, Val shared with the group that we had carefully packed enough produce to assist approximately 1,600 families. As I consider the entire event, my takeaway is the way In the Lead helps to create community among people who might not otherwise get the opportunity to meet. A common task and a few conversational topics are all it takes to connect and recognize the strengths in one another. A solid community always finds a way to grow and provide support to other communities, like those accessing the Community Kitchen. Happy to be a part of a community making it happen!
– Danae Pritchard (they/them), In the Lead Program Coordinator
