My name is Grace Mosmiller, I am a senior health sciences major at James Madison University. I have spent the last eight weeks as an intern with Baltimore Hunger Project (BHP). I first connected with BHP last summer for a grant writing class. My partner and I were tasked with writing a hypothetical grant for a non-profit of our choice and we chose BHP. I then got to know Lynne B. Kahn, the founder and Executive Director, when I contacted her for more information about the organization. Throughout the grant writing process, I learned so much about food insecurity, the food environment in Baltimore, and all of the amazing work BHP does.
I have lived in Baltimore for my whole life and I am passionate about giving back to those less fortunate in my own community. So, when it was time for me to decide where I wanted to do my senior internship I immediately remembered BHP. Fortunately, Lynne was very generous to have me.
When I arrived in Baltimore in March to begin my internship I was eager to get started and see, first hand, everything BHP does. I was very surprised to find out that Lynne and Kim ran the entire organization by themselves with the help of volunteers. Lynne is one of the most driven and passionate people I have ever met. She started helping people many years ago, making lunches in her garage and delivering them to homeless women and children. Since then she and Kim have established and grown BHP to where it is today. She could not have taken on such a huge feat without all of her determination and hard work. BHP is now growing to serve more and more children and thriving as an organization. Additionally, Lynne was so kind to me and really wanted me to succeed and get the most out of my experience here.
I was almost equally as surprised to find out that volunteers come in everyday to run the warehouse and pickup and deliver food. It is heartwarming to know that people are willing to dedicate their time every week to this cause. I have enjoyed getting to know many of the volunteers and they are all outstanding people who volunteer their time at other organizations as well as BHP. Almost all of the volunteers have said that they enjoying giving their time to BHP because they can see the immediate impact of their service and donations.
It has been very inspiring to see the impact that BHP makes on the lives of the students they serve. It has also been inspiring to see how BHP has brought the community together in so many different ways such as the Taste of Pikesville, packing sessions and the upcoming Tacopalooza in July.
I am so grateful to have had this experience because it allowed me to meet a variety of people, attend different events, and exposed me to different aspects of what goes into running a non-profit. I will take this experience with me in the future and make sure that whatever I do with my life it will be something I am passionate about and something that helps others. I will also make sure that I put as much hard work and dedication into whatever I do, as Lynne and Kim have at BHP.