Aaron Strock has been with Project Angel Heart for more than five years! We spoke to Aaron about his experience and how his role has evolved since he first started as a kitchen intern in 2015.
How long have you been with Project Angel Heart, and how has your role evolved since you first started?
I believe I have been with Project Angel Heart for a total of five and a half years at this point. I first started at Project Angel Heart in 2015 as a kitchen intern and was hired after my internship as a kitchen and utilities assistant. I left to finish my degrees but returned to Project Angel Heart as the nutrition dietetics technician, registered, in 2020. Now I’m in Volunteer Resources.
What have been some of your biggest challenges and/or lessons within your new role?
The biggest lesson I have learned is always to appreciate the compassion and dedication of our volunteers. I am constantly blown away by how many of them give Project Angel Heart their all.
What do you like most about working at Project Angel Heart and with the volunteer resources team?
I love that I get to work more closely with the volunteers. In the past, I would get some time to talk with them on the dish-up line, but now I can take the time to really get to know them.
What would you do if you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted?
I would go on a fossil dig. I would love to have the chance to dig up a dinosaur or some sort of ancient creature.
What’s your favorite meal?
I can’t pick just one meal! My top three are sushi, Cajun cuisine, and good old-fashioned cheeseburgers.
What is something unique that you’d like volunteers to know about you?
I am fascinated with biology and all living things. As a result, my head is full of random facts about animals, plants, and people.
Have you heard of the volcano snail? No? Well, you are going to learn something new today! Chrysomallon squamiferum, also known as the volcano snail, is the only known animal to incorporate iron into its body as armor. The outer layer of its shell is made up of iron sulfides, and the scales around its foot also incorporate iron. These qualities help it survive in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean around hydrothermal vents.