Hands-On Hospitality

When I decided that I wanted to do an internship this summer, Hospitality House was the very first place I applied. I had been volunteering in the kitchen for a couple of months at this point with my roommates, and I already loved the atmosphere and wanted to be there more. Starting on my very first day at orientation I knew I was going to love this summer and all the experiences that come with this internship.

As a sustainable development major I got to spend quite some time in the gardens and, my personal favorite, at the farmers market. I had the opportunity to run our donation station with one of my fellow interns, Josie, and we loved our time there. We got to talk with a bunch of people who were just interested in what we were doing, collect donations, and spend that money on fresh produce for the kitchen. The energy at the farmers market was incredible and I have started to attend the market more frequently since then.

I also spent a lot of time in the kitchen and the food pantry working to prepare meals for residents as well as food boxes for clients. This was where I ended up spending most of my time and I quickly fell in love with the fast-paced environment that the kitchen has. I loved learning how to make new meals, interacting with clients while serving, and simply just feeling like I was actively doing something to make a difference.

One common theme in all of my stories from my time here is Emily, our food service coordinator. She is truly such a light in a work environment that can become stressful at times and her smile has never faltered once over the months I have been working with her. She is one of the hardest workers I know and pours her heart into everything she does. Every day I got to work with Emily we would end up having a dance party, laughing over stupid jokes, or just talking about life. She also introduced me to our kitchen associate, McKenna, who I instantly bonded with and can now am lucky enough to call my friend. I love Hospitality House and everything I got to do during my internship, but Emily and McKenna really made my experience what it was.

When thinking about my internship as a whole I can recall only fond memories of staff that I have bonded with, clients that I got to meet, and all the fun things I got to do. If I could do my whole summer again I wouldn't change a thing.

Josie and I at the farmers market