Author: andrew_murgitroyd

This week at APATT I was working in the front of house again! I ran into the same CA alum again, though today I was working with a full-time volunteer originally from Rockey Mount. I spoke to her about her time at APATT and we both spoke about the importance of humanizing philanthropic work fighting food insecurity. This is essential, as one of the main downfalls of soup kitchens and similar places is the lack of agency it gives to aid recipients (you don’t have a choice of meals, you are getting food from a place that only serves the food insecure, etc.). By creating a restaurant where anyone of any means can eat together, APATT give back choice to those who are food insecure – essential in a situation where so much can feel out of control. I can’t wait to volunteer again next week!

What I did today

Today I got to work in the front delivering drinks, which is my favorite job because you get to talk to other volunteers. My favorite barista was there today so we had a good time catching up. In the beginning, I was with a girl named Clarissa who goes to Longleaf Highschool and is a ballet dancer. Afterward, I met a really nice woman named Florence who is a French Chef, and she offered to loan me some of her French books, which was really cool. I am definitely planning to stay in contact with her. I finished my shift working with a girl from Clayton who was telling me about how much she was liking living in Raleigh. When I was finished working, my parents and my aunt and cousin visiting from Scotland came to eat with me which was really fun. As I was ordering, I met another lady from Switzerland who was also really sweet and we had a great conversation about learning languages.

Above is a photo of my family, and below is a really cute board I saw in the restaurant:

I arrived at 9 am and got started in the dish room. At first, I was drying with M and T was washing, but eventually T took a breakfast break and I took over washing. After awhile I switched with M, and he started washing and I dried. M left and then I was the only drier, so it got kinda busy. I did that until the new staff came in. Afterwards, I had a quick 15-minute lunch before I started working again. After lunch I took over sweeping and cleaning, which I liked a lot better than working in the dish room. It was fun overall, and I liked getting to talk to people. I think it is really cool that APATT brings humanity to those facing food insecurity and that is why I like volunteering here.

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