Friday
I know Samuel Edward McConnel isn't starting the next facebook fan page for cauliflower, but I bet he (and anyone else for that matter) can find a few things here that they love. If you can't there's probably something wrong with your tastebuds. This is a list of all the things that I can remember handling through Fair Foods since I've been here. In parenthesis I've included a guess as to roughly how many cases we've handled.
almonds (30)
apple (3)
arugula (2)
asparagus (30)
banana (40)
basil (2)
beans
french (80)
string (20)
blackberries (20)
blueberries
dried (2)
bread (30)
broccoli (20)
carrots (10)
cauliflower (40)
celery (50)
cole slaw mix (10)
corn (1)
corn bread mix (2)
cucumber
regular (10)
english (15)
grapes (1)
honeydew melon (20)
kale (20)
kiwi (30)
lemon (2)
lettuce
iceberg (30)
loose leaf (70)
romaine (40)
shredded (10)
lime (1)
mango (2)
mushrooms (4)
onions
whole (40)
scraps (2)
orange (30)
papaya
large (25)
small (25)
peanuts (10)
peppers
yellow bell (140)
orange bell (30)
red bell (30)
plantain (50)
potatoes
jumbo (30)
other (300)
teeny tiny (10)
radishes (2)
raspberries (4)
rhubarb (1)
rutabega (3)
sage (2)
salad dressing (20)
strawberries (40)
soup mix (10)
soy nuts (1)
spinach (30)
squash
acorn (30)
spaghetti (2)
tomatoes
cherry (15)
other (240)
peeled grape (1)
vegetarian bacon (1)
watermelon (2)
zucchini (50)
Again, these are approximations, so some may be wildly off, and I've probably forgotten some items, but it should give some idea.
One nice perk of this job is that since the food is that we can snack on anything we like. Did you know, for example, that plantains, while they are normally hard when used for cooking, if they start to go soft can be eaten raw like a banana?
Jim
Friday, June 18, 2010
"Mommy"
Thursday
Since I've gotten here, we've been listening to *Hot 97 Boston* on the radio quite often. The announcers and ads have not stopped talking about the upcoming Univer-Soooouuul Circus since I've been here. There's one ad in particular that is especially annoying:
"Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mommy! Mama! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mommy! Will you buy me tickets to the Univer-Soooouuul Circus?"
Whenever we hear this ad begin, we immediately change the station. Jason pointed out that while the Univer-Soooouuul Circus might be great, this just makes him want to get as far away from it as possible.
I thought this was an interesting analogy for Jason and Derrick's relation to the church. Both of them believe in God, but neither wants to have much to do with the church or organized religion. Jason has seen too many hypocritical Christians, and Derrick feels like everyone involved in the church is just too focused on money, like the church is a business.
Maybe the church is great, but some Christians make people want to get as far away from it as possible. Maybe we need to take a bit more to heart the words of that good ole song "They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love".
Since I've gotten here, we've been listening to *Hot 97 Boston* on the radio quite often. The announcers and ads have not stopped talking about the upcoming Univer-Soooouuul Circus since I've been here. There's one ad in particular that is especially annoying:
"Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mommy! Mama! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mommy! Mommy! Will you buy me tickets to the Univer-Soooouuul Circus?"
Whenever we hear this ad begin, we immediately change the station. Jason pointed out that while the Univer-Soooouuul Circus might be great, this just makes him want to get as far away from it as possible.
I thought this was an interesting analogy for Jason and Derrick's relation to the church. Both of them believe in God, but neither wants to have much to do with the church or organized religion. Jason has seen too many hypocritical Christians, and Derrick feels like everyone involved in the church is just too focused on money, like the church is a business.
Maybe the church is great, but some Christians make people want to get as far away from it as possible. Maybe we need to take a bit more to heart the words of that good ole song "They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love".
"Two For a Dollar"
Wednesday
Companies must hate having to dump this food, not just since it's good stuff, but it means some big chunks of change that they miss out on. Take the kiwi that we got today. There was a pallet of 120 boxes of 65 count golden kiwi. We could only fit 30? today, and we are hoping to pick up more tomorrow. We put about 6 in every bag, but we had so much that we simply gave a whole box to anyone who expressed interest in the kiwi and thought they could use that much. One lady got out of her car and said "Oh, no! Don't tell me." She had just bought kiwi in the store. Just for fun we asked her how much she paid. Remembering that stores have to make a profit, they would probably pay minimum $20 for a box. If we put half of that in the bags and gave half away in boxes, then we likely gave away $300 worth of kiwi just in the boxes, which is probably more than we made for the whole day. Kind of interesting to run the numbers.
Jim
Companies must hate having to dump this food, not just since it's good stuff, but it means some big chunks of change that they miss out on. Take the kiwi that we got today. There was a pallet of 120 boxes of 65 count golden kiwi. We could only fit 30? today, and we are hoping to pick up more tomorrow. We put about 6 in every bag, but we had so much that we simply gave a whole box to anyone who expressed interest in the kiwi and thought they could use that much. One lady got out of her car and said "Oh, no! Don't tell me." She had just bought kiwi in the store. Just for fun we asked her how much she paid. Remembering that stores have to make a profit, they would probably pay minimum $20 for a box. If we put half of that in the bags and gave half away in boxes, then we likely gave away $300 worth of kiwi just in the boxes, which is probably more than we made for the whole day. Kind of interesting to run the numbers.
Jim
"I'm Sorry We're Late"
Tuesday
We had a variety of different sorts of delays and hassles including some that I inadvertently caused. There is certainly a lot to take in about how this whole operation works, and I've made my fair share of newb mistakes trying to figure it out. Approaching everything with a good dose of humility can go a long way.
Jim
We had a variety of different sorts of delays and hassles including some that I inadvertently caused. There is certainly a lot to take in about how this whole operation works, and I've made my fair share of newb mistakes trying to figure it out. Approaching everything with a good dose of humility can go a long way.
Jim
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
"Case that Fell Off the Truck"
Monday
Consider this a post of at least 20,000 words.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51213181@N06/sets/72157624287114344/
Jim
Consider this a post of at least 20,000 words.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51213181@N06/sets/72157624287114344/
Jim
Sunday, June 13, 2010
"So You're a Lumberjack?"
Sunday
I went to Global Ministries Christian Church (GMCC) again this morning. This was my third Sunday morning there (I went last week, and once while I was out on Spring Break). This is the church that partners with The Boston Project Ministries (TBPM), the group I went on spring break with. Thus it is also the place where we slept during that week. I must say, I felt very white when I was there in March, but I didn't feel quite as white this week. That is, sitting in a pew full of almost all white kids, in an almost all black church, having just arrived from Calvin, a very white school, I felt hyper-visible. Now, having spent two weeks immersed in more ethnically diverse populations, it didn't seem so odd to me. That doesn't mean that I don't still stand out though. There are a handful of white folks that attend GMCC, but most of them seem to be related to The Boston Project. Thus after service today I was asked a few times if I was involved in TBPM.
After the service, I got to talking with a white guy there who was the former director of TBPM, and it turns out that we are both from Ohio! Wow! Amazing coincidence. Not impressed? Ok, try: he graduated from Calvin in '05 after living in Boer-Bennink for two years, followed by a year as an RA? I suppose he may actually be the reason that service-learning spring break trips from Calvin come to TBPM though, so I'll have to ask him more about that.
The neighborhood we live in is all black, except for Nancy's house. Nancy has lived here for 30 years, and when she moved in it was an all white neighborhood. She watched white-flight happen over the course of about three years, as all of her neighbors picked up and left after the first black moved in. It's not too far from here that there were race riots at schools just ten years ago. Our society still has a long way to go. When I was working on something out in the yard last week, Nancy was over with some of the younger neighborhood guys and they asked, "Who's that white kid?" Nancy told them that I was living with her, and that I was cool. All the neighbors around here know Nancy, and a good word from her goes along way, just like it did in the courtroom on Friday.
Today I was out in the yard working, and two little boys ran by, playing some game. One of them stopped and asked me what I was doing, and when I explained that I was splitting wood, he concluded, "So you're a lumberjack?"
Jim
I went to Global Ministries Christian Church (GMCC) again this morning. This was my third Sunday morning there (I went last week, and once while I was out on Spring Break). This is the church that partners with The Boston Project Ministries (TBPM), the group I went on spring break with. Thus it is also the place where we slept during that week. I must say, I felt very white when I was there in March, but I didn't feel quite as white this week. That is, sitting in a pew full of almost all white kids, in an almost all black church, having just arrived from Calvin, a very white school, I felt hyper-visible. Now, having spent two weeks immersed in more ethnically diverse populations, it didn't seem so odd to me. That doesn't mean that I don't still stand out though. There are a handful of white folks that attend GMCC, but most of them seem to be related to The Boston Project. Thus after service today I was asked a few times if I was involved in TBPM.
After the service, I got to talking with a white guy there who was the former director of TBPM, and it turns out that we are both from Ohio! Wow! Amazing coincidence. Not impressed? Ok, try: he graduated from Calvin in '05 after living in Boer-Bennink for two years, followed by a year as an RA? I suppose he may actually be the reason that service-learning spring break trips from Calvin come to TBPM though, so I'll have to ask him more about that.
The neighborhood we live in is all black, except for Nancy's house. Nancy has lived here for 30 years, and when she moved in it was an all white neighborhood. She watched white-flight happen over the course of about three years, as all of her neighbors picked up and left after the first black moved in. It's not too far from here that there were race riots at schools just ten years ago. Our society still has a long way to go. When I was working on something out in the yard last week, Nancy was over with some of the younger neighborhood guys and they asked, "Who's that white kid?" Nancy told them that I was living with her, and that I was cool. All the neighbors around here know Nancy, and a good word from her goes along way, just like it did in the courtroom on Friday.
Today I was out in the yard working, and two little boys ran by, playing some game. One of them stopped and asked me what I was doing, and when I explained that I was splitting wood, he concluded, "So you're a lumberjack?"
Jim
"Desmond Relative Time"
Saturday
I am learning more about Sabbath. God knows that we need rest, and thus he gives us the gift of the Sabbath. Working six days a week, is tiring, and it is wonderful to take a day for rest, reflection, and celebration. Jason is a very hard worker, and I'm not sure he remembers the last time he took a day off, and he works long days, six days a week, and sometimes Sundays. His sister's high school graduation party was today, and I tried to convince him during the week to let others run the sites, so that he could have a day off today, and get to her party on time at 3. He insisted on staying though, since, "It won't really start until 5." We did leave the last two sites a little early, so that he could go sooner, but he still worked the full day. Among other things we were giving away beautiful pre-packaged bell peppers, in plastic bags containing one orange, yellow, and red pepper. We got 64 cases, each with 10 bags today, and they will have more for us on Monday.
Jim
I am learning more about Sabbath. God knows that we need rest, and thus he gives us the gift of the Sabbath. Working six days a week, is tiring, and it is wonderful to take a day for rest, reflection, and celebration. Jason is a very hard worker, and I'm not sure he remembers the last time he took a day off, and he works long days, six days a week, and sometimes Sundays. His sister's high school graduation party was today, and I tried to convince him during the week to let others run the sites, so that he could have a day off today, and get to her party on time at 3. He insisted on staying though, since, "It won't really start until 5." We did leave the last two sites a little early, so that he could go sooner, but he still worked the full day. Among other things we were giving away beautiful pre-packaged bell peppers, in plastic bags containing one orange, yellow, and red pepper. We got 64 cases, each with 10 bags today, and they will have more for us on Monday.
Jim
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