Megan Crowe

Working with the Campus Kitchen has provided me with the opportunity to work with a variety of different community partners. Firstly, I work with the Adams County Office for Aging, coordinating with them the dates for the senior center meals. This experience has been extremely positive and it is so great to see the seniors enjoy our meals so much. They are always so grateful to use for providing them with an experience different form their ordinary routine. In addition, the Campus Kitchen is located in a space that is shared with SCCAP’s Re-entry Services, which means a great deal of coordination is required so that meals can be made several times a week. While this coordination does not always work out as planned, it has allowed me to be flexible and learn from mistakes. Overall, my experience with community partners has been nothing but positive. I am able to work with people who are dealing with the same social justice issues on a daily basis I am only beginning to explore now. Their knowledge and support has been invaluable to my experience at CPS.

Working with people in the Gettysburg community who have been here much longer than I have has taught me many things about the community and the people living in it. Through maintaining community partnerships I have learned a great deal about communication and teamwork. As a single college student I’m not able to effectively create change and implement ideas, but with the help of more experienced community partners, positive results can come about.

Throughout the year, I have been able to be a part of two learning circles. During the fall semester I was a part of the sustainability learning circle, which examined the real meaning of sustainability and the issues related to sustainable practices. We also attended monthly meetings of the Adams County Food Network, a group consisting of people who love food; from growing it, to preparing it, and eating it, they loved it all. At these group meetings we were able to see how some of the practices we talked about were actually put into action. The group members were advocates for fresh, local, organic foods and believed that food is sustenance for everyone and should be available to all. During the spring semester I have been a part of Circles of Support, an initiative through SCCAP to help families move out of poverty. From week one, I felt welcome at these meetings. I bonded with the women on a trip to DC where we volunteered at DC Central Kitchen and spent a good deal of time grating carrots. Since then my experience at Circles of Support has been nothing but positive. I enjoy the community created at these meetings, where college students, community members, and professional staff members come together to share stories over dinner and learn something about one another along the way.

I think what I have learned most through my learning circles hasn’t come from prompted discussions or prepared lessons, but through interactions with people in the groups I have had the privilege to become a part of. At the meetings of the Adams County Local Foods Network I was able to talk to people who have been practicing for years some of the things I had hoped to achieve with the Campus Kitchen in the coming months. I became friends with a nutritionist who was able to give me advice about teaching nutrition lessons to kids. I met farmers and community members who could share recipes that we later put to use in the kitchen. And I was able to intelligently discuss social justice issues surrounding food with a group who truly cared. This same learning experience is encompassed in the Circles of Support meetings I now attend. From just talking with the women and becoming friendly, I have learned that there is no specific look or story of poverty. Listening to their experiences has provided me with a deeper understanding of issues of class and has challenged me to think of solutions to the issues.

Through my role at CPS I have definitely developed as a leader on campus. Until now I had never really taken leadership roles in clubs and activities; I would simply help when needed. But with this experience I was thrown into the tasks of coordinating with volunteers, community partners, and coworkers. I was forced to make a statement and a difference on campus, something I was not so used to doing. But now people look to me as a leader and as a person who cares about the issues present in Adams County and the world, and know that I can get things done and make a difference. I think what is also equally rewarding is knowing that I am a part of something that is student-run and that the Campus Kitchen depends on student leadership and student volunteers to function. Knowing that what I do would not be happening without the leadership of myself and select others speaks volumes to growth I have achieved.

From being in no roles of leadership to being considered a student leader has required a lot of learning along the way. I have learned to connect with the campus community and the Gettysburg community to make a positive change in both. Connecting with my volunteers is of extreme importance because they count on me in the kitchen to give them direction and guide their actions. I have learned that community partners also look to student leaders to aid them in activities and to help them achieve things they would not be able to do alone. Growing in my leadership abilities, I have also learned much about myself and the things I am capable of doing if I commit myself to them.

Being a program coordinator at CPS, I have learned a great deal about professionalism and as a result have become a more professional individual. My professional development begins with relationships. Building relationships with my peers, coworkers, and community partners has allowed me to develop better communication skills, as well as build upon a professionalism that is necessary in the workplace. Creating these relationships fosters a sense of trust and mutual respect among both parties. Almost weekly, I am given a group of students, many of whom I do not know, and am required to make sure their experience with the Campus Kitchen is a positive one. Being able to interact with the student volunteers and remove both themselves and myself from our comfort zones is something I have gotten better at achieving. I am also extremely proud of the ability of program coordinators to bridge the gap between college and community, reflecting a positive image of college students. The connections I have made and interactions I have had with the community have all grown stronger as a result of working at CPS.

The position of program coordinator places me in a position where professionalism is essential. I have definitely learned from my experiences and gained knowledge as a result of this job. The largest aspect of my growth is in the area of social justice. Before working at CPS, I was somewhat ignorant as to the social justice issues of class and race, especially as they relate to Adams County. Working with CPS has opened my eyes to these issues, not only through discussions, but through experiences with community members and community partners. I have learned about generational poverty and the differences between lower- and middle-class associated with areas of relationships and language, among many others. Learning these things has allowed me to see people differently and understand why they do the things they do and the influences on their decision-making. This all relates back to being able to form relationships with many different types of people. Erasing judgments and stereotypes to bridge gaps and build relationships is what CPS is all about.