A Day in the Life

I'm switching gears a little for today's blog post. I'd like to focus on one super important volunteer that the Community Harvest community has come to know and love. Some know her as Carly, but I feel like her mysterious nature makes "the girl in the yellow scarf" a more appropriate title for her. Let's see how Carly (and her yellow scarf) shed light upon Community Harvest this week.

While some volunteers were busy making rice krispy treats in the kitchen and preparing the mashed potatoes, chili, and chicken gravy for the evening's meal, I had the pleasure of inventorying the pantry with the girl in the yellow scarf. I read off the official inventory tally, and Carly (almost) effortlessly entered all of the data onto the iPad (yes, things are pretty high-tech at Community Harvest). The dedication on her face, mixed with the slight smile, shows that we are dedicated to our work, but we like to have fun. :)

This week, Carly had her hands full with volunteers from Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority and the Bucknell Brigade, eager to help anyway they could. Without a moment's hesitation, Carly assigned each volunteer a job and the serving process was underway! Pay special attention to the way she actively delegates tasks among the volunteers, keeping things running smoothly (as pictured below). Only a skilled student coordinator like the girl in the yellow scarf could keep things moving so efficiently.

When it came time to offer this week's donations at the bread table, the girl in the yellow scarf was nearby to answer any questions and make sure all dinner guests went home happy.

Even when little (or not so little) spills happen, like the one pictured below, the girl in the yellow scarf never loses her composure. It's just water and soap after all, right?

Besides, Mark (a.k.a. the man with the yellow vacuum) will have the floor cleaned up in no time.

But, it's not just me who admires the girl in the yellow scarf. She is greatly appreciated by everyone at Community Harvest.

 

(above) The March Bucknell Brigade

(below) member of Kappa Alpha Theta

 

 

 



You can't be afraid to get a little messy!

After a week off (due to freezing rain), we're happy to be back! Mark and Eddie were so excited to be back, they showed up extra early and waited for the first cars to arrive. We got right to work, preparing the ingredients for our casserole, which included some pasta, more chicken than you've ever seen in your life (not kidding, see the picture below), enough broccoli to fill a miniature forest, some veggies, and a WHOLE LOTTA CHEEEEEESE.

Now, one thing I've learned throughout my time at Community Harvest is that you have to be willing to improvise. And most importantly, you can't freak out if things get a little messy. And this week, things got messy. When dealing with the vast amount of ingredients that we had for our casserole, Carly and I decided that a spoon would be insufficient for really blending the ingredients. Instead, we used our hands.

And the result? An IRRESISTIBLE casserole. It got rave reviews from the dinner guests. And thankfully we had volunteers from a youth group in Milton helping us keep plates and bellies full.

And I can't forget about Mark, who manned the drink station, making sure that no thirst went unquenched.

As always, a big thank-you to everyone who helped make this week another successful one at Community Harvest!

Ladies and gentlemen, winter has arrived!

It's snowy and cold in central PA, but there's no stopping Community Harvest. Where there's a street cobbler, there's a way. This week, the Susquehanna Valley AmeriCorps joined us in the preparation of spaghetti and meatballs, bruschetta (yes, we're that classy at CH), mixed vegetables, fruit, and (drum roll please) Stacey's homemade ["street"] cherry cobbler.

Cobbler preparation got a little messy, but we had fun (right, Carly?)

Mark got right to work helping our AmeriCorps volunteer prepare the bread for the bruschetta. 

Meanwhile, Bart and Eddie prepared the hot chocolate...

And, week 2 of pantry cleaning was a HUGE success thanks to Stacey and the AmeriCorps crew. Look, you can even see the floor of the pantry now! Big things are happening at Community Harvest.

Unfortunately, the snow meant that there was a smaller turnout for dinner, but Mark helped us make the best of it!

Several brothers from Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity showed up to help with cleanup.

 Overall, another exciting day at Community Harvest!

Bucknell students are back!

The Bucknell students are officially back at Community Harvest! We had volunteers from Delta Gamma Sorority, who helped with setup and then went to work in the pantry, sorting the many canned food donations. It was no easy task, but the volunteers were all smiles!

Down in the kitchen, volunteers from Chi Phi Fraternity got straight to work making rice krispy treats. They made regular, chocolate, and butterscotch varieties, which were a huge hit!

A local girl scout troop came by to help serve the meal and clean up.

We had another great week at Community Harvest, and we are excited to have Bucknell students back for the spring!

Welcome Back!

Happy 2013! Tonight we had our first meal of 2013 served by the St. Andrew's UMC Youth Group! They brought a great deal of energy. Mark and Eddie came early to help with set up. Next week the Bucknell students will return as regular volunteers. Please enjoy the pictures!

Happy Holidays!

Furmano's employees helping with the drinks

Singing Joy to the World

 

Monday night, Furmano's sponsored their annual Holiday Dinner for Community Harvest! A big thank you to all the employees that came out to help set up, serve, cook, clean up and have fellowship. Enjoy some pictures!

The Fall Semester winds down...

Carly and Mark!

 

Tonight was the second to last meal of the semester. Garyn Tate made a suprise visit before he leaves for Columbia tonight. Mike Morrison will spend the Spring Semester in Australia but Casey Coffman will return from her semester abroad in Spain! Next week is the annual Holiday Dinner with Furmano's! Enjoy some pictures from the last few weeks.

Some of our helpers in the kitchen!



St. Paul's UCC helps serve the meal on December 10th





Garyn and Eddie!

More of the St. Paul's volunteers