Social Policy and Diversity

One of the main social policies that frame the activities of the food bank is one that I faced the first day of orientation. The volunteer coordinator made sure to repeatedly drive home the non-judgment and appreciation the food bank holds for each of its volunteers. I believe that this attitude draws many different people to volunteer at the food bank which in part makes the food bank’s programs more well known to a larger percentage of the population of Alameda County. Working at the food bank I have made it a practice to try and introduce myself to all those I work with and interview the volunteers to find out what brought them to the food bank. Surprisingly, many are not volunteering because they are required to, some are retired and want to keep busy and involved, some are college students like myself, some are groups for different workplaces that volunteer together, other families come in together, also some are completing necessary community service for the court, and finally many are past mandatory community service participants who have completed their time and have stayed on due to the welcoming nature of the food bank. The food bank urges their volunteers to take part in grassroots movements where anyone can be involved and advocate on the behalf of the food bank and its interests for the County. Another great way the social policy of the food bank reflects some positive aspects of diversity is that there is division among classes, education level, or reason for volunteering; everyone works together. By encouraging a collaborative environment, the food bank fosters relationships and connections among volunteers from a myriad of different socio-economic backgrounds. By working side-by-side on projects with people I would not normally come into regular contact with, I feel that my experience has been enriched because I am not only able to examine the policies of the food bank, but I am able to also learn how to work among different people which will help me immensely in the future.  The social policy of the food bank to treat everything as a collaborative effort, where no volunteer or staff member is more important that another in the fight against hunger in Alameda County adds to demonstrate how diversity positively affects the population in our society, instead of succumbing to the innate human tendency to compete, we should focus more on working together because it is here where one will discover new and interesting things about the world. One can benefit from new things that other cultures/social groups can tell us and without working together and breaking down barriers for a common goal one will not have the opportunity to get close enough to ever know.