February 2008 Archives

I felt like I ran into a few roadblocks this week, but only in speculation. Since I had to plan out other solutions to the problem as well as a "plan b" as a part of doing the chapters, I realized that I hadn't really thought of other solutions just because the one I am doing has worked so far. The solution that I have came from talking with people at the organization as well as secondary research, so it seemed natural. Hopefully, this means that the project will work as planned. I was glad to have the opportunity to plan out alternatives if it does not work out, though.

I feel that I accomplished a lot this week, since the work I did entailed a lot of planning new things as well as solidifying current plans. Also, I took greater steps in carrying out the solution, since I finished the survey. This has been quite encouraging because I've felt that my progress has been a bit stagnant these past few weeks. I presume that my progress will pick up as the survey results come back and I can use that information to strengthen my solution.

When I was searching for recipes, I learned that I may have difficulty finding simple recipes that use the foods from the shelf. Part of the problem is that many recipes call for certain ingredients not often at the shelf, such as spices or vegetables, so I am unsure whether clients will have these items in their homes. Of course, the food shelf provides approximately three days worth of food for people/families, so clients must have some other kinds of food in their homes. I think the key will be finding very fast, easy recipes, since the kinds of food most popular at the shelf are those that do not take much preparation.

I did my typical volunteering at the University Avenue food shelf. Besides that, I organized my project a bit more. For instance, I laid out some specific plans and organized the information I already have. Also, I started work on Chapters 3 and 4, since the drafts of those are due in a couple weeks. This included both collecting primary research as well as integrating it with secondary research.

I learned that I will probably have a difficult time coming up with other possible solutions for the problem besides the one I have. This is because my adviser from the food shelf agreed completely with the original ideas I had (and her information confirmed them as well). I hope that as I go through my information in more depth and also get information back from a survey of food shelf clients that other possibilities will present themselves. Extra information can either validate the strength of my present plans, or it can improve my plans. Also, organization really helped my project this week, and this kind of organization has given me the freedom to feel excited about what I can do. At the moment, I am very excited about all the work I have ahead of me.

I think my project is on a good track right now. I really feel that I am accomplishing the objectives of the project because I have been able to think about real solutions to the problem and also plan out how to implement them. As I get really into the project, I should remember to step back every once in a while to see the large scope of the project, since this will keep it as focused as it is right now. Also, this will allow me to evaluate small actions with respect to their contribution to the larger solution.