I began volunteering with NJ Snap-Ed in 2015 when I was a sophomore. I worked alongside of Maria Courel, the Snap-Ed R.D. for Somerset County and together we worked on a variety of projects over the past 2 years. I helped her in analyzing recipes, creating recipe printouts, and inputing data from the nutrition lessons into the Qualtrics database. However, one of my most memorable experiences during my time with NJ SNAP-Ed was when I was able to teach a 6-week class using the MP-Saurus Curriculum.
The MP-Saurus Curriculum is targeted for kindergartners and each week there was a different topic. I covered all the food groups on MyPlate and the last week focused on the importance of physical activity in addition to having a balanced diet. Each week was rewarding as I was able to see some of the children open up to the idea of trying new foods. They especially liked the week when we talked about grains and they learned that popcorn is a whole grain. I brought unbuttered popcorn for the children to enjoy. The MP-Saurus puppet was an integral part of the classes as well as it was important to be animated for the children to stay focused when learning about the different food groups. At the end of the lesson each child was able to give MP-Saurus a high-five for listening to the whole lesson.
Aside from MP-Saurus, I also participated in cooking demos with with the Girl Scouts. Maria would direct the majority of the lesson while the nutrition students would give additional input about the topic. After the lesson the Girl Scouts would be separated into different groups and the nutrition students and Maria would split up to become the leader of one of the groups. Together we would not only prepare the recipe, but also talk about the importance of the ingredients. For example, the week when we made black bean brownies, we discussed the importance of plant-based proteins and we wanted to show to black beans could be used for different dishes aside from rice and beans.
From my experiences with NJ SNAP-Ed as well as from St. Peter's Haven, my passion for community nutrition specifically community outreach grew. I enjoy teaching nutrition to different populations and working towards prevention of different diseases, specifically chronic diseases which are becoming more prominent in America.