5 Questions with Kayla McNall, CAPTAIN Community Human Services
Kayla McNAll is a No Kid Hungry Youth Ambassador working this summer at CAPTAIN Community Human Services. The Youth Ambassador program is a ten-week paid internship program for undergraduate students to help end childhood hunger in their communities. Learn more about No Kid Hungry’s youth engagement here.
No Kid Hungry New York spoke with Kayla about the challenges, opportunities, and impact of feeding kids through summer meals.
Can you describe your community? What do you love about it?
My community has a big mixture of ideas, races, ethnicities, and personalities and that’s mostly why I love it.
How did you decide to become a Youth Ambassador? What have you learned from the experience so far?
For the last couple of summers, I have been working as a lifeguard. It was a great summer job, but I wanted to do something more impactful this summer. Something to get me off my feet and better connect with my community. Funnily enough, during my search for a new opportunity, my mom sent me a link to this internship. She said it sounded “right up my alley” and she was right. What better way to do some good than get into the world of non-profit organizations?
One thing I have learned is that the people in the world of non-profit organizations are incredibly selfless and cooperative. Everyone is just trying to help as many people as possible with the resources they have. Some days are easier than others and everyone helps when they can.
What are the most memorable parts of your experience as a Youth Ambassador?
The most memorable part of my experience as a Youth Ambassador was being given the opportunity to meet so many new people. From the kids that we serve in our program, to my coworkers and volunteers, every single person has been a pleasure to get to know. It was wonderful to be able to work towards a common goal with so many individuals and then be able to see how it directly impacted on the kids I got to meet. Not to mention, everyone who I have worked with seems to have the best personalities ever. Never have I ever seen a group of people so overjoyed about the quality of produce to be given to other people or so quick to make a joke just to liven up the day. This summer has gone by too quickly in my opinion and I am sad to say goodbye to everyone and head back to college. But I know I will be back.
What are some of the challenges you or your organization are facing?
We face the same problems that most food pantries face – wanting to give far more than we have. More time, more resources, more opportunities. But also having to walk the line between taking enough versus taking too much. Everyone at CAPTAIN CHS does everything they can to try to avoid waste, but it can be a struggle.
If you could tell everyone in America something about childhood hunger or summer meals programs, what would you tell them?
Working for this company that is taking a direct approach to combat childhood hunger within the community has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. I urge anyone who has been curious about getting involved with a non-profit to do so. It is a truly fulfilling opportunity and more hands are always needed