Greetings, everyone, and happy Friday! This week has been truly memorable and inspiring during my summer fellowship. It’s unbelievable that we only have two weeks left. The past week has been extremely busy, but it has been worthwhile, and I have learned a lot.

Week 8 started with a special volunteer event in Cleveland! We traveled to Cleveland for a special meal packing event in collaboration with The Cavaliers Community Foundation, Coca-Cola, and The Ohio State University Student Life Office to make over 2,000 shelf-stable weekend meals. We packaged shelf-stable Weekend Meal components into convenient grab-and-go boxes to distribute these meals around the state to give to the kids. It was heartwarming to witness the coming together of so many compassionate young people, all with a strong desire to serve to ensure that children and their families won’t have to stress about having enough food over the weekend.

Wednesday was another exciting highlight of my week, as we had our bi-weekly meeting with the Columbus Foundation. Although this week was virtual, it was still lovely to hear what everyone was up to and have been learning at their host sites and to hear from our guest speaker, Toshia Safford. Toshia Safford is the outstanding CEO of the Center for Healthy Families here in Columbus, Ohio.

Her honesty and vulnerability impressed me as she shared emotional stories about several families she works with, including some whose lives she has been put at risk in the process. She shared that her experiences inspired her to establish a mental health program at her non-profit. While also emphasizing that leadership is about taking action, not merely holding a position of power. Moreover, she stressed the importance of having empathy, listening to ourselves and others, and finding balance. It was so nice meeting Toshia Safford. She was so insightful and inspiring!

I am so grateful for this opportunity and this journey has taught me many valuable lessons about dedication, patience, and the power of networking. I am so grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to another week at Children’s Hunger Alliance.