Et cetera : NCCC Team Comes Together for Iowa

Maple 4 Corps Member John MacKinnon sprays paint onto the walls of the new Northeast Iowa Food Bank

A portion of the wall space Maple 4 has been working on painting the past two weeks.

By: Jill Ament and Aidan Potter

Maple 4 is an AmeriCorps NCCC team made up of eleven members hailing from all over the country. Maple 4’s first project is with the Northeast Iowa Food Bank (NEIFB) in Waterloo. The team continues to live at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton and commutes to Waterloo.

NEIFB requested a NCCC team because the organization is moving to a new facility in a few weeks and need assistance with this move. The new facility is built to better address the more than 40,000 individuals in Northeast Iowa who require their services. One of the main tasks for the Maple 4 has been priming and painting the food warehouse in the new building, which is approximately 22,000 sq. ft.

“The morning usually starts out with us taping the outside of where we need to paint here at the new food bank warehouse,” said John MacKinnon, a Maple 4 Corps Member from Philadelphia, Pa. “Now we’re starting to paint the walls ‘tea chest’. ‘Tea chest’ is like a chocolate-colored brown.”

MacKinnon said he’s excited about the new skills he’s been learning. Ultimately, he and the members of Maple 4 are grateful for the work they’ve been given with the food bank, including working alongside a very strong and passionate staff.

Maple 4 completes their service with NEIFB on Friday, March 29, and then prepares for the next half of their first round in Des Moines, Iowa the following week.