Casey Nesbitt is a senior in Applied Nutrition at NC State. Outside of class, the volunteer interns with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Nutrition Education team. There are so many great organizations in the Triangle. Why Inter-Faith Food Shuttle?
I chose to intern with IFFS because I wanted to work in the community and gain experience with nutrition education firsthand. Some of my classmates had internships here and I wanted to check out the organization for myself. I’m glad I did!
Why’s that?
As part of my internship, I had the responsibility of helping organize pop-up grocery store tours, which teach folks how to shop healthy on a tight budget. The pop-ups simulate the experience of shopping at a grocery store – which makes the lessons more accessible. NC State’s Community Nutrition students later used these pop-up tours to teach Cooking Matters participants about shopping healthy. It was really rewarding to see how the work I put in at IFFS was making an impact out in the community.
That’s always a great feeling! Any other highlights?
My favorite part of interning was going out to the Tryon Road Farm Stand and seeing all the produce last fall. I loved when people would stop by and share the ways they would use the different vegetables. I was always learning of new and exciting recipes to try! Especially for zucchini, which is my favorite food.
You’re someone who joined the Food Shuttle family based off word of mouth. What would you tell a potential new volunteer?
If I were to recruit a volunteer for Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, I would tell them that there are so many different ways to get involved. You could do behind the scenes work in the office or you could help by doing something more hands-on like working at the farm stand.
By Lindsay Humbert, IFFS Digital Media Specialist. Contact: Lindsay@FoodShuttle.org