Harleen and Sumeet have been interning with us from Sheridan’s Social Service Worker program since September. We have really seen them grow in their roles and become a part of our team. Here are some things they have said about their experience here at Eden Food for Change (EFFC).
“We feel like we’ve grown so much at EFFC when we compare ourselves to who we were before the co-op began. One of the best things about interning here this year was getting to know the volunteers and food bank members. We feel like we’ve built a relationship with every individual so we know who they are when they walk in, and they know us. The volunteers helped us along the way by always being so nice and supportive.
Our favourite event this year was helping with the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser. We liked how everyone came together for this event. It was amazing to walk that night with the food bank manager and see all the community members going for a walk in the cold for a cause. We will definitely be back again!
The whole experience at EFFC helped us to envision our future.The values and the skills learned will help us in the social services field. We were able to see the course content from our program applied here, particularly during interviews with food bank members, using active listening, setting boundaries, etc. Our advice to future social service worker students is: DON’T BE AFRAID! If you make a mistake it’s okay because that’s how you learn. And if you don’t have an answer to a certain question, just ask!
We’d like to thank everyone who helped us during our time here, especially Lindsay, the food bank manager. She’s an amazing person and we’ve seen how passionate she is about her work. She is so supportive and always gives good feedback. You don’t have to be scared to ask her for help. She knows what it’s like to be in the same program so she always checks in to make sure you’re okay. We look up to her for being so motivational and supportive!
It was wonderful to see the volunteers spend quality time with each food bank member and make sure each one has dignity and feels supported. You can see it on the faces of food bank members when they come in: they are smiling, they are so appreciative, they are so thankful. It shows that they feel good when they come here. We encourage people to volunteer and to support Eden Food for Change!”
We’d like to thank Harleen and Sumeet from Sheridan’s Social Service Worker program for all their hard work interning at Eden Food for Change since September, 2018. Good luck finishing your program!