Gabrielle Moen is a sophomore here at UNH, studying the Community Leadership Program in the Thompson School. This part time student-part time model can be found in her free time working at the food pantry in downtown Durham called Waysmeet, also called the Campus Ministry. Especially around this holiday season Gabrielle has been very busy interning at the food pantry trying to get everything organized and prepared for the holiday season so that families everywhere have food and clothing for this winter.
Â
About Community Leadership: Community Leadership is one of only a handful of programs nationwide to combine hands-on community outreach with an academic study of communities, leadership, citizen influence, and non-profit organization management. The Thompson School’s Community Leadership program is designed for students who wish to transform a passion for community activism into a rewarding career. Students grow through a combination of learning and hands-on experiences which prepares them to work collaboratively in leadership roles to find positive solutions to shared problems and to effect social change at local, regional and national levels.
Projects: We are involved in many projects. Our class is working toward putting on the second annual SOAR (Service Organization Advisors Resource) conference in November as well as run a clothing drive to warm the people in need come winter.
Internship: In addition to running those project, I am working 100 hours this semester at the Waysmeet center focusing on the Cornucopia food pantry. I coordinate, budget, and maintain the pantry on a weekly basis. This job includes recruiting volunteers, becoming a certified shopper at the food bank in Manchester NH, keeping track of inventory, finding a way to keep the shoppers happy, place food orders, sort food, and organize paperwork.
Â
Recently Gabrielle has also been collecting clothing for a project called Warmth From the Millyard Durham, which is a warm clothing drive got people in need. Gabrielle’s group specifically collected clothing, such as winter jackets, from Greek Life across UNH Campus. The collecting ends next week so if you’re interested there’s still time! Gabrielle’s overall experience at the food pantry is unbelievable, her supervisor, Larry made her feel extremely welcome from the first day and a part of the team. Working at the food pantry has helped Gabrielle feel very accomplished due to the responsibility she had to have and the connections she has made with those in need, which is “very fullfilling