To fulfill one of my two volunteer positions for the Honors program, I committed to serving at the Toms River chapter of the People’s Food Pantry. I opted for this charitable organization because it is very community based. The volunteers, donations, and food is acquired and distributed locally. The Toms River chapter of the Pantry began after Superstorm Sandy revealed the severity of food insecurity in Ocean County. The chapter distributes 1.2 million pounds of food every month.

I had never volunteered at a food pantry before, so was unsure what my job would be. I walked into the pantry, which resembled a miniaturized super market. Five rows of shoulder height shelves, stuffed with olives, tuna, cake mix, and other non-perishables, ran through the center of the room. The east wall displayed a rainbow of fresh produce and a freezer nicknamed “The Coffin,” stuffed with chicken cuts, Bubba Burgers, and sausage links. The north wall was floor-to-ceiling fridges stocked with eggs, yogurt, and boxed milk. It also contained leftover individual Wawa sandwiches that hadn’t sold at their respective stores. The west wall contained every type of bread imaginable and a variety of Goya products.  

I wrote my clock-in time on a notepad and was introduced to one of the greeters. She explained to me that greeters assist customers with the shopping process and inform them how many items they are entitled to. Depending on the family size, each customer is entitled to a limited number of dairy, meat, and bakery items. That day also featured a heap of bananas that were in danger of going brown, which customers were encouraged to take in unlimited quantities.

I was assigned to my job as a shelf stocker. The director of the Pantry showed me an approximately three-three-five foot cardboard box, filled with white dinner rolls. I transported the rolls from the box to the west wall, organizing them to resemble a real supermarket. I lugged crates of boxed 2% milk from the metal shelves of the dim storage room to the fridges of the north wall. I arranged the milk boxes in neat rows on the fridge shelves. I transported the empty milk crates outside and flattened them in the grey drizzle, which prepared them to be hauled away for recycling.

The work was mundane, but gave me a chance to observe the customers and greeters. There were never less than 5 customers shopping at a time for the entire period I volunteered. The greeters in front of the room remarked to me that there was very little to do today because there were so few people. Few people? I was shocked how constant the flow of customers was, even on a slow day, just in Toms River. I was unaware how many people needed additional support due to food insecurity just in my own town.

The Honors Program motivated me to seek out and volunteer at an organization I may have otherwise not considered. The experience enlightened me about the severity of food insecurity in my own town, and how many people benefit from the Pantry’s invaluable resources.