Hi everyone! My name is Riley Woods, and this summer, I am working as a Columbus Foundation Fellow at Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS). Our mission as an organization is to help immigrants and refugees reach safety and stability, achieve self-sufficiency, and successfully integrate into the Central Ohio community. In my position, I work under the engagement team as a food security specialist. Year-round, food insecurity poses a significant challenge for the families we serve, but as schools close for the summer and children spend more time at home, food insecurity mounts. So, my work will focus on forging new strategic partnerships with food pantries, expanding on relationships we already have, and developing new strategies to get nutritious food to our families in need — and I got straight to work this summer!

Following a general orientation to learn more about CRIS’s work in the community, my first day centered on outreach to volunteers in our “Grocery Grams” program. Grocery Grams are grocery store gift card donations we receive from community members. These donations are crucial to addressing our food insecurity needs. Whether for new arrivals who are not yet employed or families in need of supplemental assistance, grocery grams help keep our families fed and give them the ability to focus on other matters. In total, I raised $2,000 in direct donations in my first week, with $2,000 more in committments to come in the coming weeks!

On my second day, I had a transformative experience while my supervisor and I went grocery shopping with two families who arrived in Columbus last week. Since most new arrivals are not familiar with the layout of US grocery stores and have limited language proficiency, we take them shopping to ensure they get the food they need. Getting to be out in the field and work directly with the families we served was amazing — seeing their smiles, teaching them how to look at the signs to find where different goods are, working together to interpret what they want to purchase, and practcing my Arabic skills. Never in my time working in nonprofits had I felt so fulfilled than when we put the groceries away and everyone’s face lit up with joy. Driving home that day, emotion overtook me, and I was deeply proud to be part of an organization like CRIS. I look forward to my future grocery runs and take pride in having the responsibility of being one of the first people these refugees meet that makes Columbus feel like a welcoming, long-term home.

My supervisor also took me to a food pantry visit, where we picked up three boxes of food and delivered them to the homes of other new arrivals. Again, I was struck in awe as we knocked on doors and were greeted with overwhelming joy by our families. People get involved in nonprofit work to make a difference in their community, and this direct assistance does just that. These families endure so much, and the transition to life in the United States is not easy. While I only get to help these families address one small challenge they face, their gratitude demonstrates how impactful my work can be. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work at CRIS, and I am excited to spend these next nine weeks developing new solutions that help us overcome some of the significant barriers of food insecurity.