Freshbox Blog

Meet T.: Fantastic Freshbox Employee

T.’s first impression of Freshbox was that it might be boring.  Our first impression of her was that she was kind of quiet.  It’s safe to say that we were all a little bit off in our initial assessments.  T.’s infectious smile and random outbursts of song and dance are anything but reserved, and we hope that between the huge orders we’ve been getting and the larger-than-life personalities of our Freshbox team, she doesn’t have much opportunity to feel bored.  It’s hard to convey in a profile how much we care about T.  She just got promoted to Prep 2 following the successful completion of a menu and knife assessment and a general kitchen test.  She’s a huge asset to our Freshbox team; we hope you enjoy getting to know her through this interview.

How did you hear about Freshbox?
Actually, a friend told me that that’s where she worked – she said they make sandwiches.  I needed a job and the name was catchy.  It made me wonder what they do.  Keyetta (a current Freshbox employee) told me to fill out an application.  I stopped by the next morning to apply and they asked me some questions and then told me to come back for a longer interview.

What were your first impressions of the job?
When I first came I thought it might be boring because it was only five people.  It was really early in the morning and nobody had quite woken up yet.  But when I came in Ms. Kelly greeted me with a smile.  That was nice.  She introduced me to a couple of people and they started me out rolling pickles.  At first I thought it was easy, but then Ms. Kelly finished seven before I did two.  But from that day on they’ve said that I roll them really fast and call me the queen of pickles…They say that, but I think they just want me to roll the pickles!

What’s something that sets Freshbox apart from other jobs you’ve had in the past?
There’s not that much hard labor and I like the idea behind Freshbox and what it’s for.  I haven’t worked for a company like that.  And I like the fact that they hire you through the shelter…you’ve got to be in the shelter.  If I wasn’t in the shelter I wouldn’t have this job.

What Pandora station do you pick when it’s your turn in the kitchen?
It depends.  Sometimes Kirk Franklin.  I like Lyfe Jennings too because he’s motivational.  Kirk Franklin sings about Jesus and Lyfe Jennings sings about real-life situations with relationships.

What are some adjectives you would use to describe yourself?
Caring.  I like to make people smile, that’s the big thing.  Positive.  Motivated.  Ambitious.

What are some challenges you’ve faced?
I’ve faced a lot of challenges but I don’t dwell on them.  I’ve been homeless, this isn’t the first time.  I’m 22 now but when I left Memphis I had just turned 20.  I have six brothers and sisters.  I’m the third oldest.  You could probably say I was a pushover because I just wanted to make my family happy.  My brothers and sisters hurt my feelings but I never said anything.  They expect me to be there, and wanted me to be there, but I can’t put up with that.

My nephew is like my son.  I’d been there since he was born.  I used to sing him “We Belong Together” when he was still in my sister’s stomach.  The biggest challenge was leaving Memphis – it really just killed me that I had to leave him.  I missed his first season of basketball.  He’s going to be six but he’s so good that he plays on the team with older kids.  He made 20 points one game, and I missed that.

What do you look forward to?
I’m going to be a police officer; I’ve made my mind up on that.  So I’ve got to get everything situated for that.  I want to really change the community.  If I’m a police officer, I’ve got authority.  I could change the image of some cops, because some cops are crooked. I want to show people that some people that have authority do care.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Really making a big difference in my community.  Trying to help save souls for God.  Able to help not just my community, but reach out all over.  Just try to save the world.

If you could invent a totally new Freshbox sandwich, what would it be?
Something with ranch.  I love ranch on anything.  It would probably be a pizza-type sandwich with ranch sauce…ciabatta, tomato sauce, a variety of cheese, a little American cheese, and I don’t eat pepperoni so it would have extra sausage.

Fun facts:
I like to bust out dance moves.  I love to sing.  And even though I can’t sing well, I’m going to be in the heavenly choir.  I love playing basketball and I’m very, very good at it. I love playing soccer and football.   We have a family water fight that’s been our game since I’ve been little.  I love that.  Its starts when one person gets a big bucket of water and throws it on you.  My mom thinks she’s slick because she’s got big old water guns and she’ll bust them out and start squirting us.  That’s one thing that keeps our family together.  I love writing, and directing movies, and acting.  I’ve been in plays in school, like Shaking a Mess out of Misery – I was the main character.  We did a variety show at my school – I was Tina Turner and sang her songs. 

Anything else you’d like to share?
I love potato salad. That is the best food in the world.  I won’t eat anyone’s but my grandma’s or my mom’s.  My grandma makes it better, but my mom’s dressing is better.

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