The following post was written by Tiffany Turner, a rising junior in the Bonner Leader Program at the Campus Y who received a Bonner NC Summer of Service grant for her internship at TABLE; she also received a Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation summer fellowship.
by Tiffany Turner
Hey All! As a reminder, I am working with the Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation (JKHF) and TABLE this summer. I am loving it! While my schedule has been quite hectic in this opening week with JKHF, I have been resting in the comfort of my work with TABLE. This week we celebrated the birthdays of two of our awesome employees, Laura Dille (Program Director) and Suzi Palladino (Outreach Coordinator).
I know that this blog is supposed to be mainly about my work with TABLE, but I think it’s important to share how my work with TABLE has extended beyond their community. Because of my experience with SnackChef and knowledge of programs, I was invited to sit in on a Raleigh Second Saturday planning meeting to discuss how to demonstrate and allow our target audience (lower income families) to engage with healthy foods. This is quite similar to our demonstrations and lessons associated with the SnackChef program and how we teach local, low-income families and children how to do just that! It was an awesome experience listening to some community leaders brainstorm about good, healthy and approachable foods. (I also got some ideas about foods that I can try to make myself! Yay for good, healthy eating!).
At TABLE this week and throughout the week, I scheduled posts for social media, which mainly highlighted . . .
Programs
This year, TABLE has already delivered 10,082 bags of food to local kids. We gave volunteers the opportunity to get on the ground and glean spinach that would be added into the Weekend Meal Backpack Program bags.
Campaigns
The Weaver Street Market by donating purchased backpacks filled with healthy foods to TABLE for the children. We also started our spring fundraising “Farm to TABLE” campaign. Beginning in the next academic year, TABLE is seeking to make it a priority to introduce even more fresh food to the children! We recognize that this is a vital part of childhood development.
Partnerships
TABLE is partnering with No Kid Hungry NC, Varsity Church, the Inter-Faith Food Council, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to provide over 1,600 kids with food for the summer! Read more here:http://chapelboro.com/news/health/chapel-hill-and-carrboro-launch-summer-lunch-program
What I’m Doing . . .
Scheduling posts on Face Book to highlight key aspects (see above!).
Learning about how to extend the knowledge I’ve gained from TABLE to other areas of the community.
Engaging in pivotal conversations surrounding rural/urban divides and food.
Helping out in the office! (: Thank you notes and the works.
What I’ve Learned . . .
It’s important to make connections between the different organizations and lessons that you learn in life. By connecting all of these ideas and wisdoms, you may be able to enhance or come up with new, unique ideas that can truly drive nonprofits forward.
Inspired to try and grow my own garden! Hit me up, fellow gardeners!