Second Harvest Food Bank Volunteer Sorting at a Glance

Second Harvest Food Bank
Image: secondharvestmidtn.org

A photographer, Benjamin Perlin is the owner of Ben Perlin Photography, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Benjamin Perlin has also volunteered as a sorter for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.

Second Harvest Food Bank sorters are responsible for sorting, evaluating, and boxing a portion of the food donations the organization receives from local stores and supermarkets. While the workload depends on what Second Harvest has in that day, typical responsibilities include assembling food boxes for feeding programs, sorting perishable goods into the charity’s coolers, and bulking produce into portions large enough for an entire family.

Anyone 12 or older can volunteer for the sorting position, but those under 18 need a parent- or guardian-signed youth volunteer application. Since the work typically takes place in the charity’s warehouse, volunteers need warehouse-appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes. Even on warmer days, Second Harvest suggests wearing long pants and bringing a sweater, as you may end up working in the organization’s 40-degree cooler.

The Tradition that Brought about the Color Belt Ranks in Karate

 

Karate

A dedicated advocate for the community, Benjamin Perlin currently works at Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, a shop that sells recycled furniture and construction materials for affordable prices. Outside of work, Benjamin Perlin is a karate practitioner and is currently a candidate for black belt.

Today’s students of karate are ranked according to the color of their belts. The ranking system consists of different levels for kyu (color belts) and dan (black belt). While karate itself is an old art form, the belt ranking system only came into existence as recently as early 20th century.

How were the color of the belts decided? According to speculative tradition, the belt colors originated from a peculiar habit of washing the training clothes except for the belt. Hence, from a white color, the cloth belt would then undergo several degrees of color changes as the training progressed. First, it turned into yellow, then into greenish yellow-brown. Further soiling of the cloth resulted to it becoming brown and finally, black. This tradition eventually became the source of the formalized tradition of the color belt ranks.

Ensuring Darkness in a Darkroom

Darkroom Techniques
Image: petapixel.com

Benjamin Perlin is a Nashville-based photographer who is dedicated to pursuing his passion. Despite the digitalization of photography, Benjamin Perlin prefers to use film and uses several advanced darkroom techniques.

Many film photographers have their own darkrooms because, while there are still commercial film labs around, maintaining a darkroom in the home is the more economical option. There are many essential elements to consider when in building a darkroom, and one of the most important is the darkness.

Ideally, a darkroom should be pitch black. However, absolute darkness is challenging to attain, especially in the home where the room can also serve other purposes. For those who are interested in ensuring the darkness of their darkroom, a good rule of thumb is that if you don’t see any light within five minutes, then the room is considered dark enough for normal usage.

Over a longer period of time, the darkroom user might notice certain light leaks, no matter how dim. These usually come from ceiling tiles and even electrical outlets. When noticed, these light leaks should be blocked. If, in any case, that the light leaks cannot be blocked, light barriers may be created using cardboard or wooden boxes.