The top 17 things I learned as a HIP AmeriCorps

This is me, holding a few Healthy HIP Packs for kids in the HIP storage room.

You learn a lot as an AmeriCorps member at HIP, especially if it’s your first year out of college and first year-long job. I’ve always been told that the best way to learn anything is to just jump in and not be afraid to make mistakes, and at HIP I was given the chance to try out this theory. Luckily for me, HIP is a great place to make mistakes, since you couldn’t ask for a more supportive group of people to work with. I felt so lucky this year to have the freedom and flexibility to find my own way as I learned the ins and outs of my role at HIP, from planning HIP Pack packing parties to whipping up fresh recipes at North Helpline Food Bank. I’ll never forget that first cooking demonstration, as I stood there peeling butternut squash for squash soup, already an hour late and in an overheated frenzy despite the winter weather. I was pretty flustered by the time the soup was ready for sampling, but the contented smiles and gracious thank yous from the food bank clients as they sipped on the soup reassured me that I’d have a fantastic year of cooking demonstrations…and I did!

The great thing about working at HIP is that the people around you both give you the freedom to learn on your own but also are ready at all times to provide any support you need to be successful. At HIP, the goal is to show those who have fallen on hard times that their community hasn’t forgotten them, and it’s been great to work towards that goal this year without worrying about a few bumps along the way.

So, without further ado, here are the top 17 things I learned at HIP this year:

1. Mozzarella cheese sticks are almost universally loved by kids, so much so that they’ll start eating them before they’re even unwrapped
2. Tetris, beyond being an entertaining arcade game, has applications for efficiently packing HIP Packs
3. Food bank clients could teach me a thing or two about authentic recipes from around the world
4. It’s much harder to cook quality food for 145 people than it is to cook for one (but much easier with a kitchen full of awesome volunteers!)
5. Albert Davis Park has three xylophones for kids (and adults like me) to play, and their calming chimes make the park the most wonderful place to lay in the grass on a sunny day
6. There are many, many folks in the community looking for meaningful volunteer work who will jump to help given the chance
7. To avoid staying at work until the wee hours cleaning dishes, clean as you go in the kitchen (if there was a double italicize feature, I would use it there)
8. Local elementary schoolers love, absolutely love, seaweed snacks in their HIP Packs
9. The temperature danger zone is between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit (for food, although some of those temperatures could be quite dangerous for people too)
10. Rollerblading in a parade is super fun
11. Adding more and more random fruits to a smoothie doesn’t necessarily make it taste better, and definitely doesn’t improve the color
12. Unloading 1,800 pounds of milk is significantly easier with two people
13. Working at HIP is about as good as having a gym membership (see above about unloading milk), and even better because you probably got to work way more often than you use a gym membership
14. Based on the stories I’ve heard from seniors at HIP’s Senior Meal, it was a bit easier to get away with questionable driving activities back in the 50’s
15. If someone says they don’t want to try a food, sometimes asking two or three (or four) more times really might convince them to eventually try it
16. Basic math and the ability to use a paper cutter are some of the most useful skills you learn in school
17. Always write blog posts as lists, as it makes everyone more likely to actually read them