Two recent Richmond County high school graduates are spending their summer helping in the Golden Harvest Food Bank’s fight against hunger.
Carla Burroughs enjoys the busy environment and hands-on experience working with Golden Harvest Food Bank and its programs.
“I really do love working in the soup kitchen,” said Burroughs, a recent graduate of A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School. “I’ve learned a lot of things in prep and service. Getting to talk to people and really understanding people’s stories has really been eye-opening for me.”
Burroughs and fellow Johnson grad Jasmine Williams are working for Golden Harvest Food Bank as a part of an eight-week paid internship this summer with Bank of America Student Leaders program.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Golden Harvest Food Bank partners with community agencies in 25 Georgia and South Carolina counties and operates The Master’s Table Soup Kitchen, directly providing meals to those in need.
Working with the agency has also shown the two the face of hunger and the need to erase misconceptions surrounding needing food pantries for assistance.
“It really is disheartening to see that a lot of people have such a stigma on it,” said Williams. “More people could afford to get help as well, and they’re just scared to because of that stigma.”
Burroughs said though needing help is often looked down upon, she sees the vast outreach Golden Harvest Food Bank has in the community.
“I think I’ve been raised kind of around that stigma, so I never realized how many people are really affected,” she said.
Burroughs said that a large part of her career goals stem from her personal background.
“I have a really small family with a whole lot of health issues, so we have struggled,” she said. “I have felt personally what feels like to be low-income, but I never really truly realized how many people are just like my family.”
As someone aspiring to work in the medical field, Burroughs said her internship with Golden Harvest Food Bank relates to her career goals.
“What I’m doing now will really mirror what I want to do in the future,” she said. “A lot of the people who come to the food bank or who are struggling, they are also struggling with healthcare. I feel like it’s really hand-in-hand.”
Williams and Burroughs are two of the 300 selected as student leaders for 2022 because of their academic achievements and leadership skills. The local graduates have many plans for their respective futures.
Williams, who was born and raised in Augusta, plans to attend Georgia Southern University. She said she is majoring in psychology with hopes to become a bio psychologist and understand others. She credits her family as being a support system for her throughout her life.
“My family is what keeps me afloat a lot of times,” she said. “I just want to be able to try to bring back some joy into people’s lives.”
Burroughs, also an Augusta native, plans to attend the University of Georgia to major in biochemistry and molecular biology with a minor in public health. She said she hopes to be a medical researcher and find ways to make healthcare affordable for the public.
“It’s definitely something that I’m really passionate about,” she said.
Burroughs said she loves reading, writing and participating in various activities, describing herself as a jack of all trades.
“When I was in high school, I used to be part of a lot of community service things, like toy drives,” she said.
Priscilla Elliott, media and communications coordinator of the Golden Harvest Food Bank, said the Bank of America Student Leaders program is a beneficial opportunity for students to acquire skills prior to entering college or the workforce.
“A lot of students, or recent graduates like them aren’t really exposed to it,” she said. “They don’t really get that opportunity to volunteer, to intern, to have that real-life work experience before they head to college or wherever they choose to go out to.”
Williams said her experience with the Golden Harvest Food Bank is career-oriented and different from other jobs she has worked in.
“It’s really impactful,” she said. “You can kind of see where your efforts are going in a job like this. You truly get to reflect when you go home and see the impact from day to day working here.”
