Two or three days a week, Will Coleman heads to United Way of Greater New Bedford and climbs into the Hunger Commission truck. With driver Terry Montgomery at the wheel, he heads out to pick up food and distribute it to the region’s food pantries, soup kitchens, and Councils on Aging.
Will, who is 18 and an avid skier, says the work gives him a different kind of education than his senior-year classes at Old Rochester Regional High School, which awards him academic credit for interning with United Way.
“The people we get to meet, the stories we get to hear and the experiences we get to have — it’s amazing,” he said. “Every person you meet has a story, and the people they give food to have stories, as well.”
A Rochester resident, Will got involved with United Way at the urging of his mother, Katherine Chmeil, who works as a mental health coordinator in the St. Luke’s Hospital Emergency Department. She brought him along when she volunteered at a United Way Mobile Market, which distributes food in neighborhoods.
As an intern, Will helps Montgomery with a regular schedule of pick-ups and deliveries. On Mondays, they get and distribute soup from Blount Fine Foods. Tuesdays involve delivering the remaining soup and fresh produce to the YMCA Southcoast Full Plate Project. And on Wednesdays, they gather 2,500 pounds of produce and other foods from the Greater Boston Food Bank warehouse in New Bedford and bring it to the M.O. L.I.F.E. food pantry, on Pleasant Street.
“I’m glad to be working for United Way because it has an impact on so many people,” he said. “My mom instilled in me from a young age that volunteering is very important, that you don’t have to get paid for every job you do. If you have the opportunity to volunteer and impact your community, you should do it.”