SIL International, where I work, gets a food donation each Monday from a food distribution warehouse that is near Houston. Our Center Director and Associate Center Director had made the drive a few times to determine whether the cost of renting the truck and fuel was offset by the value of the food donation... and after a few weeks, decided that it was (the dining hall uses the donated food to reduce their expense in purchasing food).
A volunteer came onboard at about the time we were deciding that this was a worthwhile task who had past experience driving a UPS truck, so he has been doing the drives for the past few months. Unfortunately, he is having some health issues, so substitute drivers are needed, and Doug, the Associate Center Director, asked if Carl and I would like to make the drive... and we agreed.
From last week, Monday, December 9:
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| It was dark when we rented the truck on Sunday, and dark when we started our drive from the campus to Houston, but the sun started coming up about halfway through our drive south... beautiful! |
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| We noted where Buckees was for a stop on the way northward... |
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| Not much quantity... |
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| .... but some good items! |
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| Including quite a lot of grapes! |
Today, December 16, when we drove down...
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| Today I noticed at the Gordon's food warehouse that they have vending machines with "interesting" wares - socks and "hot pockets"... |
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| Our Penske truck ready for contents... and blankets/quilts that we brought from the ILC to wrap the pallets... |
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| I take pictures of all the contents and text to Susie, the dining hall manager, so she has some idea of what is coming... |
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| Yogurt, lemon juice, and milk... |
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| Fresh veggies... |
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| Carl "wrapping" the goods so they stay cold on the drive... |
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| One of the guys at the warehouse taught Carl how to operate the dock plate... scary that he can do this now... |
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| Closing up the truck and the warehouse door... |
It is a rather long drive (4 hours each way without traffic), and the center has to rent a truck and spend money on fuel, but the calculations have shown that it is worth it for the value brought into the dining hall... and we are able to have a higher quality of food (shrimp, crab) than would normally be purchased to serve in the dining hall.
And Carl and I enjoy the drive as it gives us lots of time to talk while we're volunteering for SIL International!
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