Staff note: Rosario, thank you for your hard work and dedication. You are so easy to work with, and greet all tasks with “yes!” and a smile. We’re excited to hear what your next steps are, please stay in touch!
My experience at Leah’s Pantry has been very eventful and taught me many important skills, some that cannot be learned through classes. I enjoyed my time at this site because their mission/goals overlap with my career passions, helping to put an end to food insecurity and improving the health of marginalized individuals. It has also been very helpful for my future by teaching me skills related to workshop prepping, data collection, and about giving back to communities. The three months that I spent here were quite productive, I rarely ran out of projects or tasks to do. The staff created a great learning environment which as an almost graduate in health education I am grateful for.
One of the best skill qualities I observed was the way everyone worked as a team and helped make sure everything ran smoothly. There were times where everyone had different projects to work on and the office spaced seemed hectic, however everything worked out and the tasks were able to get done. They also helped me improve my culinary skills. The Potrero project introduced me to many new dishes which I helped prepare apart of the Healthy Generations program. The teamwork from their crew was definitely unique, very easy going and super friendly. They gave me many tips on how to maximize efficiency in the kitchen which are great life skills to have. The project itself is great because they help provide Potrero families with free meals and foster an environment where children can learn, grow and feel safe. Another skill I have improved is prepping for a variety of demonstrations of dishes for the workshops they facilitated. I also gained facilitating experience through shadowing the workshops which had a variety of participants, from high schoolers to mothers.
They also helped those less fortunate with their Single Room Occupancy (SRO) projects downtown San Francisco. These programs took a lot of time and effort to set into place and together, with the help of other organizations, they help provide fruits, vegetables and warm meals to the residents of SRO hotels. My part in this large project was to collect surveys and input the data to be able to view the successes and improvements that could be made for future projects. It took a lot of time, but the data collected is important.
Overall, I enjoyed my time at Leah’s Pantry and there was rarely a dull moment. My tasks ranged greatly and kept me busy. I enjoyed all the staff members and was glad to help them whenever I could. They taught me numerous skills that I am grateful for and will take with me wherever life takes me next. Thank you to everyone at Leah’s Pantry.
Sincerely,
Rosario Fabian
