We made it! Even though we had some mix ups, every member of our class got to the Omaha Food Bank on 105th. and J today. We got to hear how the Food Bank supplies food for people all over Nebraska...and HELP in the warehouse.
Students sorted donated items into bins....condiments, meals, rice, mixed fruit, baking goods, and even CANDY! Serving as a team we helped each other when faced with products we'd never seen before. Part of the group boxed food by weight, then taped up the boxes, labeled them, and put them on pallets. The number of boxes they packed were taller than they were!
The staff in the warehouse gave us all high-fives as we left.....many of us would love to go back some time.
In just over an hour we donated, as a group, about 20 hours...that's half of a work week for a full time person...and for us it was just part of an afternoon.
Not to mention the students got to see the inner workings of how food banks in the US operate, while demonstrating initiative, team-work, and problem-solving...in an all English environment.
I'd say it was an outstanding way to spend a Tuesday afternoon!!
Chae-young(spring)
9/26/2012 12:08:58 pm

It was a good experience. First my work was boxed food by weight, then taped up the boxes, labeled them, and put them on pallets. Although I have never done that, I thought I did it very well. As a result, as soon as I come back home, I could feel die.
Anyway, when I was a university student, I was interested in non-profit organization such as Food bank. Korea also has so many non-profit groups. I hope they will grow up more; it can be the driving force of the world. Besides it was good opportunity to think about that like culture of donation.
I am confident that we would bring benefit to Food bank. If I get a chance, I want to know how they used their resources.

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Kelli Westphal
9/26/2012 12:43:29 pm

Great comment Spring!
I'm glad you mentioned the situation in Korea. It's been really interesting to hear you guys' comments about service and nonprofit agencies in your countries.
Keep the thoughts and reflections coming!!

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Shoko
9/26/2012 01:27:54 pm

Actually, I didn't know well that there are volunteer unions to collect the food resources for people in need like the foodbank. At the food bank, I did both works of sorting donated items into kinds of food and making food boxes. I was really glad that I could do this volunteer because I could show my gratitude for being helped by the U.S. when Japan had big earthquake in 2011. The U.S helped people who were suffering from the lack of houses or food by sending food or army to Japan. So I wish the things I did will help people in the U.S. Also, I learned that I have to apprecciate food I usually have and I must not waste them. Thank you for giving me the good opportunity.

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Yurika
9/26/2012 02:04:22 pm

Before I visit the Food Bank, I’ve seen that many people waste their foods at the cafeteria, restaurant and also in Japan, too. Therefore I stupidly thought this organization is not so big. However there was a huge warehouse to collect foods and drink for people who need them. And also the workers have a great dream to help all people in the world. Then when I was sorting foods, I remembered that many people from different country help Japanese people when the horrible earthquake hit Japan in 2011. I know some of them are still helping our country. At the end of this project, my mind was totally changed. I don’t want waste foods anymore, and I also want to be help for them. Finally, I felt the connection with all of the foods and all countries. I talked about it with my host mother, so next time, we will go to somewhere for food dnation. Thank you for giving this great opportunity!

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Chan
9/26/2012 05:05:18 pm

I became be coworker with foodbank from that time ! ^0^
there were soooo many foods, but it makes me not good.
there are also many poor people in my country. I know that there are hard people as much as foods in volunteering organization or as big as. In fact, I had a hard time when i was young because my father failed his business. At that time, we can't eat well, we can't do almost any activities. Specially, I couldn't do anything just except looking my parents. I know how it is important to eat well, it is very big problem. I think Food Bank is a very helpful and public company.
it was really big! There are very kind staffs and volunteers. They are awesome because they work to help so many people together. How nice their mind! :)

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Mio
9/26/2012 08:54:25 pm

The movie we watched at first was very moving. When they provide the food for children, I saw they put food into a locker during the class in secret. I thought it was because of privacy, and I realized this problem is so seriously. Before I watched the movie, I didn’t think about the feeling of people who were provided food. I think we are lucky because we watched the movie and the women explain their company before we worked. I worked , thinking about that.
After this activity, I was so tired, but this was good experience for me. I can’t have this kind of experience even if I am in Japan !! Thank you so much :)

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Kelli Westphal
9/30/2012 08:41:27 am

I also thought it was great that the Food Bank showed us the video about its work before we started actually sorting food items. That orientation time helped me understand how the work I was doing would fit into the overall plan of the Food Bank. The video showed us in just a few minutes some of the important work they do...it was excellent!

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Zak
9/26/2012 11:32:08 pm

It was really interesting experience. First of all, the video that we have watched there was very effective. Also, while we were working there, i felt that i'm doing very important job in ordercto help other people who are unable to meet their needs.Finally i have realized that if all people help each other, we will have a perfect life. Thus, let's do other helps!

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Katsuhiko
9/27/2012 03:10:29 am

When I watched Backpack Project, I was surprised and sad. That is reason there are many people who can't eat food satisfactorily, even children. And staff put meals into students' backpacks during classes. And I think this association is needed strongly. Also I thought we have to increase such a project but only around Nebraska but also all over the U.S.

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Maythaa AlNofali
9/28/2012 11:05:40 am

It was really a great experience. At the first, when Ms kelli said that we gonna go to the foodbank, I thought it will be like a small company industrializes or produces food ,but I found something else. The foodbank is like a program. It provides food for poor people. It does not provide food for the people in Nebraska just ,but for entrie USA. I liked the video that talked about students' backpacks program. All my classmates , Ms kelli and I did AWESOME job. We collected or gathered the food ,and we put it in its own boxes. Also, I learned new vocabulary.
Actually, that day I was really hungry ; I didn't eat any thing no breakfast and also no lunch, so while i was gathering the food,in that moment i felt with a sense or the feeling of the poor people who have no food to eat.
In Oman, there are many charities that provide food for poor people ,so it's like the foodbank program. These charities provide food to poor people in Oman and to other poor people from other countries.

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Abdullah
9/30/2012 02:59:46 pm

I really had a good time in the Food Bank. It was a great chance for me to work as a team with my classmates  in packing and separating the food and the donations for the people who need them. I also enjoyed my time there and it was a really fun trip. We all did a great job there. I liked the movie that we saw. Especially when they go to their schools and put the food inside the students bags. I think that was a great Idea because the students who need the food can take food for the weekend, and they can eat variety foods. I'm really surprised of the people who would like to be volunteers to drive a long distance to arrived the food for those poor people who cannot buy the food from grocery stores. I really would like to be a volunteer in food bank again and work again because we all had a good experience in food bank.

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suyeonjeong
10/2/2012 09:44:03 am

Even though i know each vocabulary like food and bank, i don't know exactly food bank. this place is very interesting to me. Living in the life, food is very important, so this place is very good to poor people. i served only 2hour, but i felt many things. i thought my country really need to this program. Also, i learned cooperation with another countries friends, and i spoke only english. if i take next section, i really want to take this class. nowdays, i am so happy, because i experienced new things.

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SAEED
10/4/2012 03:07:21 am

I think we all did well in the Food Bank and I think most of us would like to make it again. Also, I have never seen a great team work as we did, and I want to thank everyone for what he/she did. For me I learned new vocabulary and felt happy that everyone was speaking in English

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al muhannad al tawqi
10/16/2012 04:31:25 am

omaha food bank is relly nice idea i hope it'll apply in all the contries in the world. we enjoy the time we spend their. ihope we get another chance to go their. we sort alot of things and we learn some new wards. I was surpraised when i saw the food that they send it to the people who need, they have a big amount of food. I relly don't know what to say, just i hope people go to food bank and volanter their, they will have fun.

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    Kelli has lived in France, the UAE, and Bahrain. She is now settled in Omaha with her family and enjoying the global connections she has via her teaching in the Intensive English Program at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

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