November Blog: St. Joseph's Nursing Home + Second Harvest 6 hrs.

In the month of November I volunteered at both the Second Harvest Food Bank and St. Joseph's Nursing Home.

At Second Harvest, I helped package foods into boxes for Thanksgiving meals. The atmosphere of the food banks was extremely welcoming. Every person seemed genuinely excited to receive an extra volunteer. While packaging the foods, the other volunteers and I exchanged our Thanksgiving plans and a few of our favorite memories and foods from past Thanksgivings. With everybody working as a team, we were able to package over ten boxes to give to families.

I went to St. Joseph's nursing home to get a few more hours. As a child, I used to visit this nursing home on the regular while my mom, a geriatric physician, visited her patients. It felt nostalgic being back at the nursing home and seeing the hallways I used to walk as kid. The nursing home was decorated for the holidays, but I know from my past experience with nursing homes that the holiday season can be challenging for those who are unable to see their families. I could tell that the residents were happy to have me as a volunteer by how they interacted with me. I joined them in their exercise classes, helped distribute lunches, and talked with the residents. Admittedly, it was challenging to speak to some residents--especially since I did not know which patients were of sound mind and which were not. Altogether, I am happy to have helped out in the nursing home and give the nurses somewhat of a break.