Through International Paper's America Recycles Day of Service, I was able to give back to our local Tiger Pantry which provides food to my fellow peers who may be experiencing food insecurity. We packed boxes, filled with non-perishable food items, with the hopes that this Thanksgiving they will have something to eat. Though we will not come in direct contact with those who receive the food via Tiger Pantry, I thoroughly hope and believe that they will feel loved and seen through the efforts made by International Paper to provide meals for students this holiday season. This service project was a direct reflection the mission of International Paper's recycling business because they reuse and repurpose materials to create a more sustainable environment. The boxes we used were remade materials from IP, and the wrappings and packages of the canned goods were taken to be recycled, with the hopes that they will be repurposed into another useful product. Something interesting that I learned during my service was how much paper vs plastic is recycled. According to the Marketing Director Amy, 32% of paper is recycled in current day, compared to 9% of plastics, and as we know, plastics are responsible for much of the pollen in our oceans. Having attended the America Recycles Day of Service with IP for the second year in a row, I look forward to attending this event and volunteering again next year, primarily as I watch and come in contact with different members of their various departments over. Seeing the various job opportunities that IP has, not only locally, but globally as well, like that of an employee from Krakow, Poland, it is clear they are a company that prides itself on retaining its employees while engaging in sustainable efforts to increase the longevity of our surrounding communities.
This service directly benefited members of the broader community because not only did learn about recycling, but we also packed food boxes for students in need on campus. This service was people-faced and environmental because we learned the proper way to recycle and all that goes into the recycling process, but we also packed food boxes for students on campus who are in need of food. Skills that I learned that will improve my direct service are what I can and can not recycle and also the best ways to recycle. I learned that most plastic can not be recycled because of how many different plastics there are. I do plan on continuing volunteering with this organization because they not only teach us valuable information, but they also allow us to serve our own students on campus.
We did a service project to help the Tiger Food Pantry. We also learned about the importance and how to recycle certain items.
I had a great time!!
