Skip to main content

Volunteering at Richmond Food Bank

Today was our last day volunteering at the Richmond Food Bank. I am so grateful we had this opportunity– it has been an extraordinary experience for all of us. I, myself, have been very lucky to work in a community where I have seen dedicated volunteers working countless hours for people and projects they believe in. In my own community centre, the staff devote extra hours for many events, all to help strengthen our community. From these experiences grew a desire within me to try to share this with our children. How can we make them generous with their time and energy for the good of others? How can we teach them to be giving people– people that think of others? Are they too young for these concepts? In my need to answer these questions, I sought to find a volunteer opportunity for them. I thought about many different ideas but the food bank always came out ahead. I was lucky enough to come across an open-minded and risk-taking individual– let's face it, preschoolers getting work done is  a daunting concept– and I applaud his willingness to attempt to embark on this adventure.

It did not come easy- planning, negotiating, scheduling... it all took time and perseverance. But alas, we made it happen, thanks to an awesome teaching team at West, great support from our Director of Child Care, Gina Ho and of course, the staff at the Food Bank.

Each and every month, without fail, we would pile in with our loud voices and energetic bodies to pack snack bags for children coming to the food bank. We tweaked things as we went along– how to best manage the group, how to set up the stations, how to occupy children who weren't packing and many others small factors that every teacher will understand. We discussed. We reflected. And, lo and behold, I think we came to a place where we were all growing and learning.

Was it easy? No.

Children got tired. They got bored. They asked why they had to do it. They asked how much longer they needed to do their work. They wanted to go play (which they always did for half the time in a very well-set-up play area). At times we questioned ourselves... Is this right for the children? Does this fit into our model of being respectful to the children's interests? Are we being responsive to their needs? But, in the end, we always came back to...

Yes, this does align with our philosophy. We are sharing something special with our children. They are learning that:

  • As a team we can make a difference.
  • As an individual, they have the ability to make change.
  • Sometimes we don't want to do things and that is okay, but we still must do them.
  • Giving to others is good for them and is good for us. It makes us feel happy.
  • Working in a group can be both rewarding and challenging.
  • People appreciate people.


So, today, our last day... certificates of appreciation, party food and lots of kudos. I think we all feel pretty proud of this volunteer experience. I hope that they take these lessons with them as they begin their journey into life outside of this school.

Emily

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mosaic Garden Stones

Today our children had an amazing opportunity to work with Glen Anderson, a local artist specializing in mosaics. You can see his work at http://www.mosaicplanet.net . I met Glen last year at Urban Weavers Studio in Strathcona. I asked him many, many questions about mosaics, all of which he patiently answered with expertise. I was gearing up for an art project in our preschool class so I really wanted to get any pointers I could from him. The plan was to have our students make mosaic tiles to place along our fence at the garden plot at Terra Nova Farm. They worked out very well, thanks to Glen's great advice and it was a beautiful moment when child and parent hung the stones at the farm on our last day of school. It was a moment of great pride for all of us. The garden that they cared for with their own hands- tended to its needs in sunshine and in rain. They will always remain part of that space, that land and their stone will remind them of this connection. Even though they turne...

3 Year Old Class - Westham Island Herb Farm Field Trip

Our threes class recently visited the Pumpkin Patch at Westham Island Herb Farm in Delta. After a relatively short and scenic drive through Ladner en-route to the farm, we crossed a small, one-lane bridge that remarkably has been in place since 1911.    Westham Island Bridge We arrived at the farm in the early morning, before the school buses appeared. It was a very peaceful time of the day, and the morning mist floating over the fields only enhanced the feeling. Westham Island Herb Farm is a community oriented farm that promotes buying fruits and vegetables from local sources. This farm is part of the Ellis family farm and they have been in this location since 1916! Upon arrival at the farm, we were greeted by a beautiful display of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes. Prior to the tour of the farm, we visited the general store, which showcased a large variety of homemade jellies and honey selections such as wild flower, raspberry, pumpkin and ...

A Day at the Farm... with a twist

We were all looking forward to heading to the farm. We had not been in two whole weeks so we were all experiencing farm deprivation disorder! We craved outdoor time, running on the paths, and checking out our favourite spots. We had no particular agenda- nothing to plant, nothing to weed, nothing to harvest and literally nothing to do! Perfect!!  Actually, we did have one special thing happening there but I will get to that in a moment. The children could not get off the bus fast enough, bounding down the tall stairs. Jackets on, zipped up, hats and mitts on, ready to face the chill of December. The children tossed their knapsacks onto the picnic table with abandon, and began to run around the courtyard area, obediently staying on the paths  ( finally, four months later they have learnt to stay out of the garden beds). They shouted, they chased and fell down! Once our initial burst of energy was out (only slightly), we walked over to the compost to see what the worms w...