This summer I interned at Serving Our Kids Foundation as an Operations Intern. Serving Our Kids feed and serve children by providing weekend meal bags every week to those that would otherwise go without food. During my time I not only got hands on experience putting together and delivering the meal bags, but I worked on other projects primarily focused on writing Standard Operating Procedures. While doing so, I got to experience everything a non-profit organization does on a day-to-day basis, as well as a look into what it takes to feed around 4,000 kids and serve over 100 schools every week during the school year.
Although my major is psychology, I chose Serving Our Kids because it was related to what I want to pursue after completing my undergraduate degree. I believe my experience has greatly contributed to my future plans and given me a first-hand look at what I was interested in, which is non-profits. After getting an exclusive look at what it takes to operate, grow, and succeed as a non-profit, my interest in completing a Master of Public Administration and starting my own non-profit has only grown. Throughout my time at Serving Our Kids, I became more aware of the positive impact they have on the local Las Vegas community, which is something I would like to accomplish with my own non-profit that addresses mental health needs in adolescents. My ultimate goal is to in some way help others on a large scale, so interning at Serving Our Kids has since fueled my desire to pursue similar work.
Before starting my internship, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but quickly learned that everyone at Serving Our Kids has one primary goal in mind, and that is to feed more kids. Interning with Serving Our Kids requires nothing more than simply wanting to do good and help feed children. While basic communication, active listening, and writing skills are required to some extent, Serving Our Kids is for anyone looking to make a difference. For prospective interns I would say: Have an open mind, be willing to learn, ask questions, and take notes. Overall, everyone at Serving Our Kids is extremely friendly and passionate about feeding and serving children in need, and by the end of the internship you will be too.
Hey Zachary! First of all, I think it’s amazing that an organization like this exists. Feeding and serving over a hundred schools per week is surely no easy task, but the fact that it gets accomplished yearly shows the dedication and care you and the team have for the community. It sounds like you were able to gain a lot from this experience, and I’m glad that this experience has inspired you to create your own non-profit for mental health needs among adolescents. Many people still overlook the mental health issues of the youth, thinking it’s puberty or that it’s not possible for someone that young to go through such issues. Bringing awareness to this problem is just the beginning, and knowing that someone else has the same passion brings me hope for the future.