The Houston Food Bank
The Houston Food Bank is a privately run non-profit organization that was established in the year 1982 in Houston, Texas. The organization has received certification as a part of the network of food banks known as Feeding America. The distribution of food to more than 600 hunger relief organizations that operate in Texas State is fundamentally facilitated by the Houston Food Bank agency. The organization feeds almost 140,000 individuals each week from the needy. The organization's humanitarian efforts serve the needy and those without access to nourishing meals in the neighborhood. As part of America's larger food network, the fundamental obligation of the charity is to ensure that those without food get access to the same. Those who benefit from the agencies charitable activities include the food pantries, senior centers, soup kitchens and other agencies. Some of those who benefit include children who do not have access to food commodities. The agency has established a framework through which people can donate food items with a target of providing the same to the needy.
Vision
The Houston Food Agency has a vision that aims at expanding services to the community by ensuring that over 100,000,000 nutritious meals are provided to the people by the year 2018. They have focused on providing meals to people when they need the same at their greatest time of need.
Mission
The agency equally has a mission of ensuring that they fight hunger. The agency is located in Portwall where most of their operations are conducted. The agency has partnered with other agencies to build a strong community support. The focus is on the provision of balanced diets and social services.
Contact Supervisor
The contact supervisor was Oleg Jolic, Director of Volunteer Services, phone number 713-547-8684.
Brief Description of my Duties
How the Agency Impacts the Community
The Houston Food Agency has established a framework through which they have partnered with different agencies to provide food items to the underserved, vulnerable and the marginalized populations. The impact of their activity on such communities has been positive as depicted by their ability to provide food items to them when they most need the same. The agency has motivated the vulnerable populations as they are able to access food items, a basic commodity that they would originally not be able to access. The engagement with regional, national and global communities has been instrumental in positively impacting the vulnerable populations.
Impact of the Agency on the Larger Community it operates
The communities within which the agency operates has found meaning when it comes to the aspect of helping individuals at their time of need. The services provided have been essential because of the broader perspective involved in the same. The approach that entails providing the social services to the community by partnering with regional, national and global agencies has been instrumental in improving the living standards of the community. The agency has played a positive role in ensuring that the community accesses basic commodities without fail.
Strategies the Agency Could Implement to Improve Services
The agency is already doing a noble activity by making sure that vulnerable populations are able to access food commodities when they need the same. The first strategy that can be adopted entails the aspect of the organization of social action that includes advocacy. The agency should advocate for more engagement from the community members to ensure the achievement of identified goals and objectives. Further, the agency needs to expand the scope of their operations to include the other challenges that affect the community being served. Despite food being the main challenge, it is critical to acknowledge the presence of other problems such as health. It would help in attaining sobriety in social services offered to the vulnerable communities.
Comparison and Contrast of Worldviews
The world continues to witness a growing number of hungry people. I firmly believe that people have a fundamental objective of ensuring that they be their brother's or sister's, keepers. Indeed, in comparing my personal values to that of the agency, I concur with efforts being put toward ensuring that those in need of basic commodities are able to access them. The vision of the agency is to make sure that people are able to access nutritious foods. I value the need to help people when they are in need. It is a reflection of the commonality that exists regarding the agency's activities and my beliefs. The difference would exist in the practice of such a venture. I would provide the services on a small scale compared to the agency which does so on a large scale.
What I have learned in Relation to my role as a citizen within the larger Community
I realize that we all have a fundamental role to play in ensuring that we provide social services to those in need. It is critical for individuals to have a selfless attitude that focuses on ensuring that we provide to those who lack. The ability to volunteer at the agency enabled me to realize crucial insights as pertains to the aspect of kindness and compassion. As a citizen in the large community, we should play a role in protecting the vulnerable communities at all costs.
