The Flagstaff Family Food bank is a non-profit organization that makes and stores food to give out to the homeless and less fortunate in our area. The food bank has two facilities, the warehouse and the actual food bank. The warehouse takes donations from various stores in the the area and houses the products. They then package the food products and distribute to the food bank and various other charitable organizations in the area including the Foundation and Freedom houses which help drug addicts transition from jail and other institutions to normal society. The food bank takes food from the warehouse then cooks and prepares it into take home and hot service meals for the homeless of Flagstaff. Together they hope to help and serve the maximum amount of people and facilities.
Back2Basics volunteers its time and labor to both the food bank and the warehouse in a multitude of different fashions. Every week we split into two groups, one goes to the food bank and another to the warehouse. At the food bank, which is essentially a cafeteria and a kitchen, clients slice vegetables, fruit and meat, cook and prepare meals. We then distribute meals to the local homeless population. We also clean the facility and prepare it for communal meal services held several times a week. A few of our clients have even used the food banks services when they were active in their addictions. So its not hard to see how our time and effort has made a positive impact on not only our small establishment, but the community we as drug addicts live in.
The warehouse is a different type of work, but equally important. Clients working at the warehouse work for the most part in sorting donations int food boxes. These boxes are then given out to local homeless shelters and other beneficial organizations in Flagstaff. We also dispose of boxes and clean the necessary equipment it takes to maintain such an operation. While this work is not as transparently rewarding, the work we do here reaches a great number of people. Even if we don’t get to physically see them all like we do when we work in the food bank.
The work we do at both facilities can be difficult at times and draining both emotionally and physically, but the good we do for the community outweighs any strife we might be feeling. The charitable works are tangible and immediately visible which is a great thing for drug addicts (when for the most part lived extremely selfish lives in their addictions) early in their recovery to experience.
Client Journal from Joe
