This was a collaborative project I was involved in with Professor Sherry Hern and three other designers; Wesley Cassford, Greg Hennecken and Wyatt Scott. We were given the task of visually interpreting data provided by the staff at Volunteers of America. Volunteers of America (VOA) is one of the leading foundations in America responsible for helping thousands of people with food disparity gain access to free food baskets. The organization relies heavily on donations and volunteerism therefore they are always looking for ways to find funding vis grants and donors.
The volunteer aspect of the VOA was a factor in the design process and forced us to become more strategic and resourceful in our approach. After many preliminary ideas such as using found and materials like cups, string, metal and paper our team decided to use a resource directly from the VOA in which they had an abundance - plastic spoons and forks. We collected an approximate number of volunteers who work on any given day which is represented by the forks versus an approximate amount of meals delivered by the volunteers in one day which is represented by the spoons. The amount of work these volunteers put in to giving back is outstanding and immeasurable.
Hearing and reading some of the backstory of the volunteers motivated us even more to create something special for the hardworking volunteers in show of gratitude. We intuitively laid out the spoons and forks in patterns that resembled flowers. It was interesting that we were led this way as flowers are usually given as a token of appreciation and honor. White also has significance as white represents goodness, purity, possibility and sincerity. I am proud to have been part of a project that helps benefit those less fortunate as well as being on an amazing team. A Day at Volunteers of America is located in Denver, Colorado at the Volunteers of America headquarters on Larimer St.
