I DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING FOR CHRISTMAS

Admittedly, 6 am was too early to start out. I mean, the work didn’t begin until 9. But is was my first time and I was unsure of distances. So, there I was, 6 am, waiting for a bus. By 6:30, I was ordering my morning vente blackeye, handing the Starbucks card over with one hand, while holding a jalapeno bagel (toasted with butter) in the other hand. It was an odd way to start the day, given the task. Around 7:30 I headed for the Douglas Greenline station. Just twenty minutes later, I was tramping down the steps at Rosa Parks station. The Blueline train was packed, but I lucked out and found a seat. Glancing up at the map, I saw Slauson was the stop before Vernon. I’d be there early, but I figured they could put me to work.

When the train arrived at Vernon station, I headed north up Long Beach Ave toward 41st. Just a few feet into the trek I realized my destination was on the opposite side of the tracks. Bummer. No problem. I kept walking. The building was a warehouse in a low to lower-middle income neighborhood—a mixed bag, for sure. The warehouse was the smaller than I thought, but the two semis parked out front told me that they meant business. On the front was the logo-style name: Los Angeles Food Bank . As I approached the Food Bank, I saw the security guard in the small parking lot. She greeted me cheerfully and led me up the stairs to the work area. We entered a large room, filled with pallets of canned and boxed food. Ten people were already at work preparing the packs for the volunteers that would arrive at 9. They put a box of Corn Flakes in a large plastic handle bag, then placed two bags in each red bin. The bins were labeled "#6"--this is the packet we were preparing today. #6 includes stuff like canned meat, cereal, canned vegetables, dry milk, canned milk, dry beans, and peanut butter. I was put to work unstacking the empty bins so the others could place the cereal in them. We worked furiously for about 30 minutes, prepping 673 bins.

When the others arrived at 9 am, Tony came and gave us our instructions. Teams of four to five people were assigned to each product. Some unsealed the boxes, others placed the cans or boxes into the bags in the red bins. An additional four were assigned to the cleanup team. This was my team. Out tasks were to breakdown the corrugated boxes and place them in a large box and to pick up any trash. The basic task was to keep the place safe and clean in order to prevent injury. Once the assembly line got going, it was a sight to see. In two hours we had packed and palleted all 673 red bins. Tony then had a group of people prep 152 more bins--this time canned peas instead of canned corn. We started up the line again around 10:40 and finished all the bins by 11:30.

These 825 food packs are delivered to 35 senior citizen homes throughout Los Angeles, providing basic nutrition to seniors on fixed incomes. What amazed me most is how such a small effort (we were only there about four hours) could do so much. Each pack supplies a month of basic food. Pretty amazing.

After taking a few pictures (to be uploaded later at Laurasmind: The Fotolog), I headed for Vernon station and lunch. I realized a few things at the LA Food Bank. First, it doesn't actually take that much time and effort to make a difference. It was only four hours. Second, it wasn't the "life-changing event" I expected. It was basic. It was good, but not some panacea--not some instant cure-all. It was good, basic physical labor aimed at a good cause--feeding people. Third, I can do this--even when I have homework to do. I was back near home by 12:30. The excuses are gone, and I gave myself a fairly cool Christmas present. Not bad for a half days work.

I'll definitely go again. You can join me. Sign up online at Volunteermatch. By the way, Volunteermatch has information on volunteer opportunities in many cities. Decide to do something, and then do it. If you're doing something already, share a story.