On July 19th at 7 P.M., local residents and interns of Assemblyman Brian Barnwell gathered at the St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church in Queens to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the hungry.
The program runs on donations and volunteering, according to an intern. She explained local small businesses and supermarkets give bread and other resources, but emphasized the importance of other community donations.
“You want to give back to the community,” said another intern about her philosophy. All of Barnwell’s young interns agreed that we waste a lot of food, so we should be helping people as a community with what we have.
Not only do those in need benefit from the good service, but volunteers involved share a “community bonding experience,” according to a college senior helping Barnwell. “It’s more tangible than complaining about hunger.”
Steven, who called himself the community liaison, explained the sandwiches are stored in boxes to be collected by City Harvest, a nonprofit food rescue organization. The boxes are shipped to shelters, a volunteer reported.
Another intern preparing sandwiches said he came to the space provided by the church to help out the homeless, which he tries to do whenever he can.
Crystal and Joseph, siblings who came to the event with their mother, were hard at work spreading peanut butter and jelly on slices of bread. Joseph admitted the service helped him with “getting out and doing something useful instead of doing something useless at home.”
Steven reported these projects have been held since fall, and interns want the event to grow and attract more volunteers as sessions are held in the future.
“Brian cares a lot about the community,” claimed an intern who wished to remain anonymous.