Shyama’s Full story
The early months of the pandemic ushered in many changes at Food & Friends, especially among our volunteers. Company and school groups had to cancel and many long-time volunteers with health risks have had to stay home. Overall volunteer numbers had to be reduced in order to maintain physical distancing. But an enthusiastic group
of new volunteers stepped up to fill shifts and meet the demand despite smaller numbers. One of these new recruits was Shyama Haniffa.
Shyama was a regular volunteer at the Smithsonian and National Gallery of Art for many years. When both of those were forced into hiatus due to COVID-19, she began looking for new opportunities to keep her busy during the pandemic and also diversify her volunteer experiences. Food & Friends was a perfect fit. Shyama has become a regular on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, working closely with the chefs.
“I love the chefs,” she says. “They make me feel so welcome and everything is super well organized. They don’t waste your time, you have a specific task, and I love that.”
“When I started, there were a lot of new people coming in. The chefs must have given the same instructions a thousand times, but they did it so respectfully and kindly, I would never have known,” she recalls. “That’s a real talent, to be that graceful.”
While chopping vegetables, portioning out tuna salad, and packing meal bags, she’s gotten to know many of the other volunteers. There’s a loose group of regulars she often volunteers with. “I scooped soup with a volunteer who had been here for 25 years. She was so welcoming and would give little tips about how to best portion out the soup. Everyone is really helpful.”
While she has valued her volunteer experience, the mission of Food & Friends also speaks to her. “I love the origin story. You can get very isolated if you’re ill. But with all the little touches, like Thanksgiving and birthday cakes, you’re treated as a whole person, not just as your illness. But at the same time, [Food & friends is] very aware of the illness and has all these specialized meals. I think it’s a really expansive way of feeding people, instead of being reductionist.”
“Coronavirus has not done me many favors, but I will say, it opened things up for me. Whenever my volunteering at the Smithsonian starts back up, I am going to incorporate Food & Friends into my plans. It has made my life bigger.”
To volunteer like Shyama, visit our volunteer page.