Hi Everyone! Chaos struck again throughout my eighth week, but by now, I know how to handle the twists and turns that come my way. As usual, I prepped the weekly need for food pantry boxes, but unforeseen needs threw a wrench in my plans late in the week. Luckily, the Lutheran Social Services (LSS) food pantry—the one I have partnered with—let me order some extra boxes, which helped immensely. The added need put the new food box system I created to the test, but with some help from colleagues and LSS, it withstood the pressure. With more partnerships in the coming months, I am proud to reflect on my work with CRIS and see how I improved food security for incoming refugees and immigrants throughout Central Ohio.

One of my favorite aspects of my work at CRIS, which I have yet to talk much about, is that some clients offer to share meals or drinks when you help them out. This summer, I shared tea, juice, fruit, and meals with Iraqi, Afghani, Sudanese, Somali, and Senegalese refugees and immigrants. In the past week, I ate my favorite meal this summer: bolani. The client described Bolani as an Afghani dish “like pizza.” It is essentially a stuffed flatbread made of potatoes and flour that you dip in a chutney spread, or in my case, a spread of tomatoes and green peppers. I posted an image of the meal below:

Getting to eat these delicious meals also comes with the benefit of learning more about how these families came to Columbus and the difficulties they faced throughout the refugee and immigration process. I’m constantly in awe of the resiliency these families have to make their journeys, and it is such an amazing privilege to serve these people. There’s nothing else in my life I take more pride in than being one of the first people to welcome them to the United States and Columbus, Ohio. I love the work CRIS does for these people and our communities, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to work for such a fantastic organization that performs these critical services.