I am now completing my internship with the South Plains Food Bank. The experience has been enlightening. The young men and women I have met and worked side by side with influenced my way of thinking, feeling, and acting. My task has been to evaluate the GRUB program sponsored by the food bank. I interviewed current and past participants. I observed their behavior and dynamic at work and throughout the day. I met some difficulties in meeting the past participants and trying to complete surveys, but luckily I met with a few of the most promising individuals and they shared an abundance of useful information with me. I have also used other means of communication such as Facebook, texting, and mailing out surveys.
I have enjoyed every moment of the internship. I have the utmost respect for my supervisor, Ms. Maxine Asmah. She is an intelligent, independent, and inspirational woman. It has also been a pleasure getting to know and work with Debbie and Yvonne at the farm. The staff at the Lubbock Food Bank are also a wonderful, kind and caring group of people. I have had the exact experience working with the staff and supervisors of Ogallala Commons. Everyone is happy and fulfilled in their positions and are always willing to help. It has been an all-around beneficial experience for myself and my future career.
A few of the difficult parts of the internship were: not living in Lubbock, being unable to reach past participants, scheduling conflicts with my current position in Levelland, having so little time to establish a trusting relationship with the kids and have them feel comfortable talking to me. Overall, obstacles were overcome and I feel strong, reliable, and beneficial data were collected.
I succeeded in maintaining a casual and professional rapport with the GRUB employees. I met deadlines and received the feedback needed to evaluate the program. One special part about this task is that I worked side by side with the kids on the farm. I did not go over each morning and walk around asking questions or handing out sheets for them to fill out. I learned from them by spending time and putting in a full day’s work. I enjoyed it. I felt the connection to the land so many of them spoke of. The work is hard and I honestly went home tired at the end of the day. I have a tremendous amount of respect for these individuals. They are working out in the hot sun each day during their summer break. The part that blew my mind, is that so many of them are working to contribute financially to their families. They want for very little and I feel if ever someone asked these young people for help, they wouldn’t hesitate.
I am so proud of each person on the farm. I am excited to find out what they do with their lives. There is so much potential and heart. Future generations will be ok as long as we have groups of young adults such as “The Grubbers.”
