After some extra sleep in the morning the team was well rested for another day of service. Arriving early at the first service site the team had some time to look around the surrounding neighborhood, and admire some of the very unique houses. This service site was called Urban Recipe, so I was personally expecting to enter into a kitchen. Instead we were welcomed into a Co-Op consisting of men and women of the community packaging and sorting food that they would eventually take home. Before we did any service we sat down to prep and discuss the work and history of the Co-Op with Mr. Jeremy. We were joined by a class from LeGrange University that had come down for the day as a required part of their class.
After being prepped we headed back down to work with those in the Co-Op. The service consisted of talking with the members of the community, transporting food from the truck into the church, and placing food into individual boxes as instructed. Pranav, Darrell, and myself had a different job than the rest of the group. We worked outside clearing trash, cardboard, and the remainders of a shed where a homeless man had once stayed for twenty years. As our time at Urban Recipe came to a close we joined into a large group prayer led by members of the Co-Op. They prayed not only for many social issues, but also for us, which was something many members of the team were touched by.
After a quick lunch in the vans we got to Metro Atlanta Urban Farms. We were immediately greeted by some incredibly friendly and personable people. Mr. Kareem, Mr. Korega, and Mr. Bobby welcomed us as if we were old friends. It was a very hot day, especially for us some Maryland, but we immediately went into the fields with rakes and pitchforks in hands. Over the next three hours we all worked very hard either watering plants, raking and transporting compost, or having eight people working to put one nail in over the span of an hour. We all loved talking to the men that worked there, but were happy to be able to relax and drink some Gatorade at the end. We will be back there on Thursday to work with the same organization.
All in all it was a great day. This was clear since everyone wanted to take naps when we returned to the house. A great meal, and conversations with friends over dinner, followed by reflection, was a great way to end the day. We have now seen food being grown, been to a Wal-Mart where food it sold, toured a massive food bank where Wal-Mart donates much of it’s food, packaged food at a local church, and then today we saw people picking up their food and taking it home. Wish us luck as the thunderstorm approaches. Looking forward to more service tomorrow, and seeing many of the great parts, and people, of Atlanta.
Challenging Moment- Putting a single nail into place. Took multiple people close to an hour to achieve this goal.
Surprises- How many people, and how long it takes to put one nail in place
Accomplishment- Putting a nail in place
-Matt
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