After going through the LibreFoodPantry website and reading the documentation for Thea’s Pantry, I got a better sense of what this project is trying to do and how it operates. LibreFoodPantry is not only about writing software. It is about using software to support real people and real needs in local food pantries.

One part of LibreFoodPantry that stood out to me was the focus on values. The project places a lot of importance on collaboration, openness, and respect. The Agile values and FOSS principles show up throughout the site, along with a clear Code of Conduct. I chose to write about this because it shows how much the community cares about how people work together, not only what they produce. It sets expectations early and creates a welcoming environment for students and contributors who are still learning.

From Thea’s Pantry, the workflow documentation was the most interesting to me. It explains how development moves from user stories to implementation, review, and release. The process uses GitLab issues and merge requests to keep everything organized and visible. I liked this because it feels realistic and practical. It shows how an open-source project runs in a structured way while still being accessible to new contributors.

Overall, LibreFoodPantry and Thea’s Pantry show how software development, clear processes, and strong values work together. The project gives contributors real experience while supporting an important cause.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Harley Philippe's Tech Journal by Harley Philippe and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hello, my name is Harley Philippe, and I’m currently enrolled in Software Quality Assur & Test (CS-443) at Worcester State University.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Harley Philippe's Tech Journal by Harley Philippe and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Reading over the LibreFoodPantry website, the first piece that really stuck out to me was their Mission statement; Unsurprisingly, I know. Furthermore, their mission statement was not about “How to become profitable” or “Why we are better than other food pantries” but it was simply: a community of students and faculty using software to help society. From this alone, I could tell that this food pantry is going to be great to participate in. Complimenting this was their Code of Conduct section which highlights their mission statement. It truly shows their importance of creating a safe, healthy, and friendly environment.

In Thea’s Pantry GitLab Group, I found the architecture to be interesting; more so, to hyperfocus, the architecture of the reporting system. Myself, being part of the Identity and Access Management team, I found it very insightful to know when a user logs in how it is “talking” to the frontend and with the backend, servers and all. Furthermore, the class I took last semester, CS-343, is really prevalent now being able to analyze the architecture. With that being said, I can recognize that there is still a lot to be learnt on the actual implementation of all the relationships with one another; will be a great opportunity to learn and implement.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Programming with Santiago by Santiago Donadio and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

I felt like Apprenticeship Patterns was different from other technical or programming books I’ve read. It wasn’t really about coding languages or tools; it was more about how to think, grow, and become a skilled software worker. The most interesting thing to me was how the authors talked about software development as a craft that needs time, patience, and humility to learn, not as something that can be done fast.

I thought it was really interesting that being a trainee is not seen as a weakness. Before reading this, I often felt like I had to “know everything.” This was especially true in tech, where everyone seems to be expected to be sure of themselves and have a lot of experience. The book taught me that being honest about how much I still need to learn is a skill. The thought of beginning as an apprentice and working my way up to success made me feel better about where I am in my journey.

Making the point of learning new things throughout life was another part that really made me think. It says in the book that learning doesn’t end when you get a job or a degree. This has changed the way I think about my future job. I used to think of graduation as the end, but now I see it as the start of always getting better. I also thought about my own habits and how I can be more deliberate about learning, practice, and asking for help.

In some situations, I don’t agree with how great the apprenticeship plan sounds. In fact, not all workplaces have mentors or an atmosphere that helps people learn. The ideas are good, but I think it might be hard to fully use them in workplaces that are too busy or don’t offer enough help. Still, I think the way of thinking that the book talks about can be helpful even when things aren’t going well.

The beginnings of the chapters that were most useful to me were the ones that talked about growth, duty, and personal development. These ideas are useful not only for making software, but also for life, school, and work. Overall, the reading changed the way I think about how I learn and reminded me that growth takes time, work, and patience.

From the blog Site Title by Roland Nimako and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The name’s Jancarlos Ferreira, current third year student at Worcester State University, studying Computer Science and Business Administration as a minor. Coming into this field, I under-estimated the size of it and the variety of opportunities and educational aspects. This blog will serve as a forum to speak on topics that pique my interest in terms of it and software specifically. The near future is unrecognizable, yet limitless. And I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity that I am deserving of.

From the blog CS@Worcester – theJCBlog by Jancarlos Ferreira and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

After reviewing their website, I’d first like to talk about their Mission. Just as discussed their goal is to expand a community that assists food pantries with free software to better serve their purpose of helping others. They provide students with actual working experience and the ability to see that their computing skills can improve society. This is supported via the idea of their software being FOSS, a humanitarian software project that supports their ideals and provides good overall. I chose to talk about their mission because as a CS student at WSU, I will be working closely with LibreFoodPantry and knowing that their goals are to improve local society is a good feeling. I believe that if students know that their work has an actual impact or improvement for other’s lives than it would be a fulfilling project that stimulates growth for them.

Moving onto their Code of Conduct, this is something that is very important to adhere to due to the communal nature of LibreFoodPantry. Having a Code of Conduct like LibreFoodPantry’s is to make sure that everyone feels accepted and isn’t ashamed to reach out to support or ask for help. Having standards is the norm and their code of conduct is more than acceptable for their goals. They discuss their expected behavior and unexpected behavior as well as who to reach out to if you see or experience anything unacceptable. They also explain what would happen if one were to break their code of conduct, from warnings all the way to a permanent ban on any interaction within the community. This was interesting enough for me to write about because I believe that everyone should be informed of the code of conduct and should act with this in mind.

https://librefoodpantry.org/

From the blog CS@Worcester – Coding with Tai by Tai Nguyen and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hi, this is my new blog for software quality assurance and testing.

From the blog CS@Worcester – CS Journal by Alivia Glynn and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.