As a second-year Mount Scholar, I am currently underway on my Year of Service project (YoS). The YoS project is comprised of 75+ hours of service at one or two locations, and is designed to promote meaningful service, build community connections, advance leadership skills, and foster empathy. The organizations that I am working with for this project are Matthew 25 Ministries and the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. Matthew 25 takes donations from local businesses and hospitals, utilizing volunteers to sort and prepare items for delivery oversees to areas affected by natural disasters and other forms of crisis. The Mid-Ohio Foodbank focuses on grocery distribution to impoverished or struggling individuals in their immediate community, supplying not only food, but necessities like diapers, dog/cat food, or masks.

The picture above is a representation of my time spent at Matthew 25 Ministries so far. The box to my right was my project during one shift: containing thousands of over-the-counter medications that we sorted, documented, and prepared for shipment overseas. My experience with both agencies so far has been extremely educational, and this photographed ay in particular was so interesting to me. At Matthew 25, I’ve learned more about crisis response, and how things that some of us take for granted—like vitamins, collagen, or probiotics—can be vital to those who don’t have access to large hospitals or proper nutrition.