Twenty-two year old Brenden wants to be a high school teacher. When he learned about the opportunity to work feeding young people with MSC’s Summer Meals program, he jumped at the opportunity.
“The Summer Meals program is first about feeding kids, but there’s also a social aspect as well,” shares Brenden. “Especially with the pandemic, there are a lot of kids who mostly only know isolation.”
“There was a mom who would bring her daughter who was probably only 4 or 5 years old. Her daughter was reserved and didn’t really interact with anyone else. After coming to Summer Meals, the young girl started opening up and socializing with other kids.”
“A boy between ten and twelve years old would also come, and watching him was amazing! He went around introducing himself to all the other kids at their tables. He asked them questions and got them talking with each other.”
The partnership with the Federal Way Library for Summer Meals also opened up the door for kids to engage in learning opportunities. While serving meals, the Summer Meals staff were able to share information about the educational programs the library offers including coding workshops, book clubs, and an audio engineering program, aligning well with Brenden’s passion for learning.
Brenden is currently working towards his Bachelor’s degree. He has always had an interest in many different things and is always striving to learn more. This curiosity, coupled with his own experiences in high school, led him to find being a teacher as the perfect fit for him.
“I had a unique and traumatic end to high school,” shares Brenden. “I had high school teachers that were there for me, and this also a way to pay that back. I hope to share my enthusiasm for learning with students that will excite them to learn and help them want to be there.”
Due to staffing issues, MSC was limited in Summer Meals sites this year and served meals twice a week at the Federal Way Food Bank and twice a week at the Federal Way Library. This year’s Summer Meals program served 1,462 meals.
Photo: Brenden is pictured on the right with fellow Summer Meals staff Aaron on the left.
