Hi, my name is Oreste. I live in Lancaster and I started working at WHEAT under a grant through MassHire and SnapChef to help non-profits keep up with the demand of COVID-19. Initially I helped in the Café by prepping, packaging and delivering meals to the housing authorities in Clinton and Lancaster. Over the last month, I have worked as a Food Pantry Coordinator at the WHEAT Community Cupboard. A typical work day at WHEAT involves a lot of different tasks but my main duties are making sure everything is in working order (like the refrigerators and freezers), getting shopping carts filled with food and other products for the clients that will be visiting the pantry that day, and visiting local grocery stores to pick up their donations. I also oversee volunteers who come in to help because without them we couldn’t do everything we do.
I love working at WHEAT, and my favorite part is knowing that I’m helping my community. When I’m not working I enjoy reading, sports, camping with family, and attending church meetings. I also like to do other things to give back to my community. My favorite is helping senior citizens with landscaping they can’t do on their own. Overall, I always try to seek the needs of the community and fulfill them the best I can.