By Adam Martin
The jobs are simple: collecting dirty dishes, assembling plates of food or, in my case, pouring water for those who are eating. Tasks that are not complex, but essential.
Our Food First employee team at our first Stewpot visit.
In 90 minutes my four co-workers and I helped feed 760 people. Not bad.
According to its website, The Stewpot is “a safe haven for homeless and at-risk individuals of Dallas, providing resources for basic survival needs as well as opportunities to start a new life.” That certainly matches what we experienced.
Volunteers like us arrive just before meal time, were assigned straightforward tasks and then asked to pitch in and help. People, lots of hungry people, shuffle through and receive good food — ribs, coleslaw and other fixin’s on the day we served — and a brief reprieve from the Texas heat. The place is a well-oiled machine, efficiently serving those in need three meals a day, 365 days a year.
I look forward to serving there again.
Benji mans the "hole" -- collecting trash and cleaning trays.
The First Choice Power team is a fortunate group. We have good jobs working for an amazing company. We have families and friends and ample opportunities to better ourselves and our lives in countless ways. And now, through the Food FirstTM program, we have another opportunity to give back, as well.
So, on the first Wednesday of each month some of us will be pouring water and handing out food at The Stewpot. We’re happy to help because this community is our community, and we’re committed to it. There are simply too many hungry people in Texas. We’ve decided we’re going to do something about that.
Adam is an analyst supporting our wholesale trading and commercial sales teams. He works closely with the Culture Committee, a group of employees who endeavor to strengthen and energize the culture of First Choice Power. He’s a Food First employee volunteer team leader.
