Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK)

Part 1: Assessment and identification of service need 

Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) is a non-profit charitable organization that is dedicated to servicing the hungry around the Trenton neighborhood. The organization is entirely dependent on donations from well-wishers, churches, organizations, and local business persons who are dedicated to the less privileged in the society. The mission of the service area is to feed the hungry around the Trenton neighborhood and to roll out programs that will enhance self – sufficiency to assure a high-quality life for all its patrons (Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, 2020). Besides servicing the hungry, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen is also involved in programs that promote self-sufficiency and enhance a good life for all in the community (Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, 2020). The primary service areas of this service include serving meals, sending hunger packages, tutoring adults, hosting holiday celebrations, amongst other services. I identified this service through a referral by a friend who had worked in the service as a volunteer. After receiving the information, I also went further to search for the service's website, and I was able to get more information about the service. 

Part 2: Literature review and research 

Charitable organizations and Agencies like TASK are critical in the community. One way in which charitable organizations benefit society is by giving members opportunity to participate in volunteering activities (Mohan & Bennet, 2019). Some cannot afford a meal, while some can provide. These differences are majorly caused by conflicts, climate change, (Kleitman, 2017), and political or terroristic unrests. Such organizations as TASK help to fill this gap. TASK, for example, seeks to address poverty in the society. Poverty leads to hungriness, and in most cases, most of the affected families or individuals do not get help from the government, and they remain desperate and helpless. Such charitable services help to contain such incidences and give needy families and individuals a reason to smile. Furthermore, charitable organizations act as schools of democracy by engaging in society ( King & Griffin, 2019). These may include agricultural projects, unions, or sensitization programs on the activities that people can involve themselves in to make a living. These services also advocate and lay down plans and formulate strategies to reduce hunger and ensure that there is food security in society. 

Part 3: Planning 

Typically, I always drew a budget for all the needs and requirements that I needed to serve members community. For a time, I would ensure that I am free from all non-essential activities to have sufficient time to plan and actualize the objectives and meet the goals of TASK to ensure active participation in the service. For the budget, I ensured that I enlisted as many volunteers and supporters as much as I could. I also made placards and fliers that I distributed to well-wishers who would wish to support the service. I also ensured that I engaged with concerned members in the community and merged with other patrons to ensure that the activities of the service succeed and went on as planned. Additionally, I made several invitations to several volunteer members who are concerned for the welfare of the needy and who are willing to help out with their resources and human resource needs (World Health Organization, 2008). While planning for this activity, I maximized charisma, patience, determination to achieve the mission of the service, influence, and decisiveness. 

Part 4 

My exact point of participation in the service was receiving and guiding members who were checking in with the service. I was mostly in the help desk, where I was involved with talking to members about we do, guiding them along the line of the questions and inquiries, and registering them into participation in our varied programs and sessions. My other site of deployment was in the kitchen, where I was involved in preparing various meals for distribution to the needy cases. In all my participation, I was heartily congratulated because of my dedication and selflessness. I was always thinking about the people we were serving. In all my undertakings, the people whom we were working forever came first. The most notable leadership and management skills I demonstrated in the service were resilience, decisiveness, patience, and hard work. 

Part 5: Reflection and Commitment 

Overall, I had a good time serving at TASK charity service. It was one of the most enjoyable working seasons I have ever had in my lifetime. Some of the professional nursing services that I applied while serving in TASK are autonomy, altruism, social justice, and human dignity. Nurses and individual citizens can help TASK a big deal. For example, nurses can help in taking care of the sick members of the needy families and nurse those who are emotionally wrecked because of their situation. Citizens can help support TASK financially or lend their efforts in carrying out the day to day tasks. One public health policy suggestion that I can make is to increase sensitization for the regard of the less-privileged members in society. This policy will help TASK to reach many people. As an individual nurse, I will commit myself to the personal administration of members in the community as a social responsibility. 

References 

King, D., & Griffin, M. (2019). Nonprofits as schools for democracy: The justifications for organizational democracy within nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly , 48 (5), 910-930. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764019837603 

Kleitman, A. (2017, March 30). 5 reasons to care about ending hunger. United Nations Foundation . https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/5-reasons-care-end-hunger/ 

Mohan, J., & Bennett, M. R. (2019). Community-level impacts of the third sector: Does the local distribution of voluntary organizations influence the likelihood of volunteering? Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space , 51 (4), 950-979. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X19831703 

Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK). (2020). About Task . http://www.trentonsoupkitchen.org/about.php 

World Health Organization (WHO). (2008). Leadership and management. In Operations Manual for Delivery of HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment at Primary Health Centres in High-Prevalence, Resource-Constrained Settings: Edition 1 for Fieldtesting and Country Adaptation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310911/