Knowing that many people in my community struggle to feed their family, I decided to take a proactive approach by volunteering my time at a community food bank in my area.During my volunteer work, it soon became apparent that this was a job fraught with many challenges and rewards. At first realizing the great need that still exists within my community was a bit overwhelming, but as I began to better understand that magnitude of the task at hand I realized that volunteers like myself can really help make a big difference. I began my volunteer work in the office, helping organize paperwork and learning about how food banks work. I soon moved out into the main area of the food bank assisting in organization and addressing the concerns of individuals who stopped in.
Throughout my volunteer work I developed a set of skills that will be beneficial to my future career goals. A core understanding of business procedure will be helpful in any business role I undertake. My new found customer service and communication skills are also key skills needed in the business world. By watching my supervisors, I was impressed by their leadership skills and teaching ability. I hope to continue to work on my own leadership skills in my future career. By working hard and always trying me best I developed a stronger sense of work ethic and professional identity.
I feel that being an empathetic person is a key trait that will help me be successful. Patience and listening skills are also strong qualities that I continue to develop. I believe that with my history I have an innate ability as well as desire to help others even in ambiguous situations. I greatly enjoyed knowing that I might have had a small part in insuring that some people in our community might have the resources they need and it opened my eyes to how rewarding and challenging volunteer work can be.
Works Cited:
Chambers, J. (2011, July 26). Hunger a real concern for too many Americans . Retrieved from http://www.lfpress.com/comment/editorial/2011/07/26/18470156.html
