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wickedwordsAt today's community service event, our group of 21 people got put on processing frozen baby carrots. They have huge frozen pallets of 1200lbs of baby carrot seconds--baby carrots that are either too big or too small to be packaged and sold under whatever the commercial label--and these pallets are left to thaw for a day so that the volunteers can dig the carrots out from the ice.
We have to suit up in standard food processing wear--hair nets, plastic aprons, latex (or latex alternative) gloves--and work in a refrigerated environment for this. About 7-8 kids are working on digging the carrots out of the ice and dumping them into white vats, which are then hauled over to one of the repackaging tables. The volunteers there then scoop the carrots out 3-lbs into plastic bags, weigh them, tie them closed, and put them into a banana box with ten bags per box. At some point, you have run around and label more plastic bags, get more twist ties, clean up the floor with the spilled carrots and melting ice, slice the cardboard down on the pallet so that you can get better access to the carrots, or bring in another huge pallet.
(Our 2nd pallet we only took the top layer from, as it had sat out a little too long, and there was too much water in the bottom.)
We did about 3.5 pallets, 3720 lbs of carrots in total. Enough for around 3000 meals.
Then we dined in our car, came home, and napped. I feel like I put in a really full day.
We have to suit up in standard food processing wear--hair nets, plastic aprons, latex (or latex alternative) gloves--and work in a refrigerated environment for this. About 7-8 kids are working on digging the carrots out of the ice and dumping them into white vats, which are then hauled over to one of the repackaging tables. The volunteers there then scoop the carrots out 3-lbs into plastic bags, weigh them, tie them closed, and put them into a banana box with ten bags per box. At some point, you have run around and label more plastic bags, get more twist ties, clean up the floor with the spilled carrots and melting ice, slice the cardboard down on the pallet so that you can get better access to the carrots, or bring in another huge pallet.
(Our 2nd pallet we only took the top layer from, as it had sat out a little too long, and there was too much water in the bottom.)
We did about 3.5 pallets, 3720 lbs of carrots in total. Enough for around 3000 meals.
Then we dined in our car, came home, and napped. I feel like I put in a really full day.
