After a daylong journey from Ithaca through Syracuse and Albany, our team finally reached Boston late Saturday night. Sunday morning we set off to walk the Freedom Trail, beginning with a tour of the USS Constitution, conveniently located only a couple blocks from our hotel! From the historical ship, we headed to a Thai restaurant for lunch. When we arrived at the restaurant, we learned it was closed on Sundays! Using our teamwork and conflict management skills, we quickly came to a consensus on a nearby restaurant. From there we continued walking the Freedom Trail, stopping at the Bunker Monument to climb the whole 294 steps to the top then rest outside in the grass. Following the Freedom Trail, we traveled into the North End where we saw Old North Church and Paul Revere’s House. By that time, we were hungry and stopped by two Boston classics: Pizzeria Regina and Mike’s Pastry. Though we had fun exploring Boston, everyone was ready to start working at our site.
After enjoying a casual brunch in Boston Back Bay, we traveled to Community Servings in Jamaica Plain for our first half-day of work. The volunteer coordinator gave us an orientation before allowing us to begin work in the kitchen. She discussed the clientele of Community Servings, such as their demographics and some of the illnesses from which they suffer. She also detailed Community Servings’ other programs besides meal delivery. Finally, she explained to us why diligent hand washing and proper protective gear were crucial for working at Community Servings: most of the individuals we prepare meals for have compromised immune systems, so what could be a minor illness for one of us could seriously endanger their lives. After hearing the volunteer coordinator’s orientation, we realized how well prepared we were to work here. Nearly everything she mentioned to us had been covered and discussed at our weekly meetings leading up to the trip. Despite knowing most of what she covered in the orientation, several group members asked her questions to expand upon what had been discussed. The volunteer coordinator was pleased that our group was so engaged in Community Servings. After working in the kitchen for a couple hours in the meal assembly lines and peeling carrots, the chefs dismissed us for the day. Though we wanted to stay and keep working, we knew we should save our energy for the next three full days of working at Community Servings. Monday night was filled with delicious food, as we explored Chinatown and ate at a new restaurant.
Tuesday was our first full day working at Community Servings, from 9:30 am until 4 pm. During this time, the group oriented themselves to the logistics of the kitchen and started feeling more comfortable. We also began talking to everyone we met: chefs, regular volunteers, and the food service training students. Everyone we talked to had a unique reason for why they loved working at Community Servings, which inspired our team to make the most of our short time working there. The trip leader was surprised but touched when three of the chefs remembered her from her visit the previous year. At lunchtime, the chefs were extremely generous and provided us with more than enough fresh, delicious food. After stuffing ourselves with macaroni, fresh veggies and chocolate pudding, we headed back into the kitchen for more tasks. Our team worked so efficiently together that the staff ran out of tasks to assign us! Though we happily would have stayed and worked more, the chefs insisted we go out and enjoy Boston instead. We traveled over to Quincy Market to see the famous street performers, shop, and enjoy some classic Boston cuisines such as lobster rolls and New England clam chowder.
Wednesday morning everyone was more tired than they anticipated, but were nonetheless excited to return for another day of work. Wednesday marked a change of pace in our work, as two team members got the privilege of going along on a delivery with a staff member. At our team reflection, we learned about how they got to see all different areas of Boston and the diverse clientele that Community Servings provides for. These two team members personally delivered meals to clients, as well as to schools that Community Servings provides school lunches for. They felt that being able to go on a delivery tied their whole experience together by allowing them to see exactly where the meals we made ended up. The rest of the team got to work in all different areas of the kitchen- the meal assembly line, packing weekly food bags, and even helped out with some small tasks in the professional kitchen. In the professional kitchen, we got to work with members of the food service training class and see how Community Servings had helped them. The training program provided them with marketable skills that would help them get jobs, and also made them excellent cooks! At the end of the day, the generous chefs surprised us with homemade pizzas and donuts. Wednesday evening we attended a Cornell networking panel with alumni in the public service sector. We really appreciated hearing about how we could transfer our volunteer experiences into careers after graduation. During the Q and A session at the end of the panel, several team members asked the panel thoughtful questions, and represented Cornell and the Alternative Breaks program very well.
Everyone was exhausted by Thursday morning. We knew, however, to make the most of our last day at Community Servings. Three more team members had the opportunity to go on a delivery. After being away for nearly 8 hours, they truly realized the scope of the area served by Community Servings! Like the two participants who delivered on Wednesday, they felt that delivering really tied their whole volunteer experience together and were so glad they went. They had a unique opportunity to get to know some of the drivers, who we typically don’t get to interact with. At our nightly reflection, we learned how dedicated the drivers were to the cause and mission of Community Servings. Though very, very tired after 18 hours of working in the kitchen and delivering meals, we were very sad to leave all the friendly faces we met while working at Community Servings. Once again, the chefs went above and beyond what we ever would have expected and prepared us a delicious lunch. After taking numerous pictures and saying many heartfelt goodbyes, we were on our way to have dinner at the Prudential Center and get some much-needed sleep.
On Friday, after sleeping in, we headed back to Quincy Market to check out the street performers, farmer’s market, and once again, the food. Later that afternoon we headed to Harvard Square. After checking out the Harvard Bookstore, Harvard campus and eating dinner, we met up with the Boston Living Center team to enjoy some ice cream and take a second trip back to Mike’s Pastry. As a team, we decided to save our appreciation circle for the last night. We anticipated it would take us about a half hour, but with our team of 9 and the strong bonds we had formed over the week, it took more than 2 hours! Everyone had something nice to say about every member of the group. As a trip leader, it was extremely rewarding to see how well the team bonded and meshed after more than a semester of icebreakers, meetings and discussions. After much laughter and heartfelt talk, we all headed to sleep. Saturday we set off to repeat our long journey back to Ithaca via Albany and Syracuse. At half past midnight, we finally made it back to our dorms and apartments and vowed we would reunite once the official Alt Breaks activities ended. Our six days in Boston were activity-packed and exhausting but definitely worth all the preparation to work at our site and meet all of the great people we had the privilege of meeting and working with.
Alternative Spring Breaks 