As I near the end of my Dietetic Internship, I could not be more thankful to be finishing my rotations here at Operation Food Search. Community Nutrition is an area that I feel very passionately about, and there is no better place to have the opportunity to impact the lives of people than this organization. It has been the most rewarding experience, and I have loved every minute.
It would be hard to choose a favorite part of my time here, as I have enjoyed them all. But I’ll start w
ith sharing my experience from the Cooking Matters program. Cooking Matters is the program here at OFS where I have had the opportunity to teach nutrition lessons to children in St. Louis Public Schools and cook healthy meals with them. Working with children is something I have always enjoyed, and being able to share a healthy meal with kids while teaching them about nutrition is more than I could ask for. Hunger impacts so many people here in St. Louis, and everyone here at Operation Food Search is so passionate about feeding the people who need it most.
Cooking Matters at the Store is another program offered by OFS, and having the opportunity to observe and lead a store tour was an eye opening experience for me. Having an extensive nutrition background, I often forget how difficult selecting the most nutritious options when shopping on a budget can be. Operation Food Search is truly “impacting lives one meal at a time” – and seeing this happen firsthand has been so inspiring. In a society that relies heavily on fast foods, seeing children and adults try healthy recipes and actually enjoy them made me downright giddy. Until my experience here at OFS, I wasn’t aware of just how much food insecurity and hunger there is right here in St. Louis. Operation Food Search staff and volunteers and are truly making such a difference in our community. Ironically, Operation Food Search was the first organization I volunteered for as an undergraduate student when I was first considering studying dietetics, and now I am ending my Dietetic Internship here. I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity and all of the experiences that have truly been irreplaceable.
– Hillary Macias, University of Delaware Dietetic Intern
