From my first day at Emergency Family Assistance in Boulder, I was impressed with the organization. I liked how easy it was for clients to qualify for service -- if someone was asking for help then EFAA would do everything they could to meet their needs. The organization serves families, the disabled, and the elderly living in Boulder County, regardless of income or job status. Most people come to EFAA to get food from the food pantry, but many clients also needed assistance paying utility bills and rent. In addition, EFAA runs two housing programs: the emergency shelter provides temporary free housing to families looking for more permanent accommodation; while the longer-term transitional housing program has apartments with reduced rent. In both programs, social workers help the families stay within their budgets and learn the skills they need for living on their own.

The EFAA office was light and cheerful, and the professional setting gave clients the respect that they deserved -- a respect that is often difficult for nonprofits to achieve. The spotless food pantry was an example of how EFAA made clients feel respected. Unlike other food pantries I had seen before, EFFA's was much more pleasant, with hardwood floors and natural light. Shelves of canned foods, pastas, cereals, and snacks were well-organized, a noteworthy feat given that hundreds of pounds of unsorted food was donated to EFAA every week. There were even some organic and gluten-free foods, baby foods, and perishable foods: breads donated from a local bakery, frozen meats, a dairy case, even some fresh produce. Clients left EFAA feeling like they had gone to the grocery store rather than a charity.

One of my favorite tasks as intern was working at the front desk. I loved being the first face that people saw, and I strove to warmly welcome new and returning clients. The job was not easy -- there was a lot of information to keep in my head. Phones rang all day long, and at times I had to keep track of four different conversations on different phone lines at once. I enjoyed the high level of activity at the front desk!

The calm environment of the intake office was a stark contrast to the front desk. As intake worker, I would assess clients' needs and how we could help them. If they needed food, after approving them, I would take them back to the pantry for their "grocery shopping," but sometimes they needed bus tokens to get to job interviews or sought furniture from our donated furniture bank. In some cases, it was heartwarming to hear about clients' success in getting a steady job and their own apartment.

When the intake office was slow, I would organize housing application forms, so clients could hopefully move up from reduced-rent apartments to market-rate housing. I also worked extensively with EFAA's computer database, entering information about volunteers and clients -- a valuable skill to have because many non-profit groups use these same programs.

My internship at EFAA showed me how a non-profit group can be effectively run and gave me the opportunity to work with individuals in need. I hope to make my career helping people less fortunate than I, and this internship gave me an in-depth experience doing this work. I am grateful to the Rocky Mt. Harvard Univ. Club for giving me the chance to do what I love.