By Riley Peterson ’26

As a double major in creative writing and environmental studies, I didn’t expect to stumble upon PROP Food Shelf during my search for a summer internship. I was searching for internships related to environmental studies, but when I saw the PROP internship posting on Handshake, I couldn’t help but send over my resume. The position, Development Intern, fit right into my skillset as I already had experience in the development field as a Supervisor at the Student Outreach Center of the St. Olaf Annual Fund. I was interested in diving deeper into that field, and if I got this position, the summer was an opportune time to find out more. 

After I got the job with PROP, something unexpected happened—the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also offered me a job for the summer. Recognizing the importance that both internships could provide for my vocational exploration, my supervisor, Matt Dymoke, encouraged me to work in both positions and adjusted the internship slightly to allow this. I was very appreciative of the flexibility PROP offered before I even started working, and this flexibility was a throughline of the internship. 

My main assignment was to write articles that centered on one theme, the message that really represented what PROP was all about: neighbors helping neighbors.

On my first day, Matt and I had a detailed conversation about how the internship could be shaped to my interests; he wanted me to get the most out of my time at PROP. I inquired about utilizing my creative writing skills, unsure if they would be applicable to the work of development and stewardship. Matt was all for it. To my surprise, stewarding relationships with the community PROP serves requires good storytelling. In order to further PROP’s mission, the community needed to understand what that mission was. I was going to help tell that story. 

My main assignment was to write articles that centered on one theme, the message that really represented what PROP was all about: neighbors helping neighbors. PROP volunteers are all local community members helping out fellow members of their community, and it’s been that way since the food shelf’s founding 50 years ago. In my stories, I emphasized how important that camaraderie is for their community. By the end of the summer, I had written 16 articles for PROP’s blog and social media. 

That moment made me fully realize the power and importance of storytelling: people need their voices heard.

My internship was mostly remote. However, that didn’t diminish my experience one bit. I interviewed many different members of the PROP sphere over Zoom calls and email, including PROP volunteers, staff members, faith partners, and local business partners. Even though I couldn’t meet everyone in person, I garnered a deep understanding of the PROP community. One volunteer told me, “The people at PROP are the reason I continue to work there. The staff, volunteers and clients are like family.”

I was especially grateful that I was able to connect with so many people. I enjoyed hearing all the different ways individuals and organizations found their way to PROP, how so many different paths all led to one place. By sharing these stories, I felt incredibly welcomed by the community. One moment that sticks out to me is that after writing a story about some of PROP’s volunteers, one of them reached out to me. The volunteer told me that she had cried after reading my article and that I “told our story well.” That moment made me fully realize the power and importance of storytelling: people need their voices heard. 

I can’t change the world, but I can change a life.

My internship with PROP has inspired me to continue searching for ways to tell stories and work with communities in the future. That sense of connection to my environment and the people in it has become essential for my vocation. I have already started down that path by deciding to become a reporter for the student newspaper, The Olaf Messenger, to write for my campus community. I am also a leader of the sustainability club Environmental Coalition (EC), in which I hope to utilize the outreach and stewardship skills I developed at PROP and apply them to the projects EC works on. I am excited to see how my experience with PROP shapes the remainder of my college career. 

As another volunteer told me, “I can’t change the world, but I can change a life.” That’s a lesson I want to hold dear as I plan for the future.