My first-ever volunteering experience in the soup kitchen took place in West Harlem, New York. It was shocking to see the amount of people relying on food stamps and community support. But unlike the freezing weather outside, the soup kitchen were cozy and warming, while volunteers prepared the free lunches for the visitors. Assigned as the assistant of system chef, Akanni Damazio, I helped the other volunteers to unwrap the food, season the fish and prepare the lunch boxes. The job of cooking meals may sound easy, but the amount of dedication and commitment needed for it have made the experience of working here very special.
“I never thought I would be doing what I do, but I would not change it,” said Damazio, the system chef in the West Harlem community kitchen who had worked there for six years, “To volunteers, thank you for making a difference. Thank you for giving yourself to others. Without you, it would be very hard to do what we do everyday. God Bless!”
See more surveys about the hunger in New York City from http://nyccah.org/learn-about-hunger/hunger-new-york-city
