Breakthrough, We’re back!
The Relish Works Team was back at Breakthrough's Fresh Market in East Garfield Park, Chicago, on Friday, June 21st, and wow did we feel much more prepared this time. Using our experiences and learnings from our initial visit was helpful not only to the team members who had been there before, but also used as a teaching tool for the folks who were new to the Fresh Market.
The first time we visited Breakthrough, we unintentionally brought a team of all women with us. However, this time around, we had a better mix of male and female volunteers. Although the regular Breakthrough volunteers were happy to see our group as a whole, the guys proved to be a great called-upon resource when helping to lift heavy boxes, unload the truck's heavier crates, and move the bulky items from the back to the front area of the market.
On a more personal note, it was really nice to see the regular Breakthrough volunteers again – kind of like seeing old friends, where you start back up again right where you left off. Miss Sally was the go-to for any and all of our questions, and yet again proved to us that she knows all of the details of the pantry better than anyone else.
In general, we found that getting to know the regular volunteers in order to become better acquainted with their individual personalities, humor, and working styles really helped with the flow of the afternoon. Things like who to go to for what questions, when to pitch in and help, or when to let the regulars handle a task all add up to a more fluid and smooth combined team effort and better overall experience.
A familiar face, Brenda, who had previously helped us sort through boxes of bananas and produce items last time we were at the facility, was there again to offer assistance to our team. A couple of the folks on the Relish team had the chance to chat with her more this time around while sorting items, and discovered that Breakthrough was a large part of Brenda's life. So much so that all three of her children also help out at the organization with her, and help to serve the community regularly.
Another interesting bit of information we discovered was that some of the regular volunteers started off as customers of the pantry during difficult times in their past. Later on when their situations became more stable, they moved from customer to volunteer for the pantry, and are still regulars today. Our team agreed that if this didn't reflect the quintessential spirit and embodiment of volunteering – you get what you give, and you give what you get – then we're not quite sure what else would.
At the end of our day, we said our goodbyes and packed up our belongings, announcing to the team that we'd see them again next month. We were almost surprised at how enthusiastic the volunteers response to our promise to return was. They said they were delighted to have consistent volunteers to join them each month and were excited to see us again, but we were yet again too fast :).
What Breakthrough's regular volunteers didn't know was that prior to visiting the facility, our team had discussed our pace as something we would actively try and work on that day. Not only slowing down and spending more time working through various tasks without rushing to 'get it done,' but also being more mindful about getting to know the regulars, hearing their stories, and having a laugh with them in order to develop better interpersonal relationships and to help our teams better merge with one another.
We clearly have more to work on, but it was again a great Friday afternoon! Until next time...
Things could be done much more efficiently, but that doesn’t matter.
-Taylor