This month, I focused my volunteer efforts on nutrition and preventative medicine. After living in New Orleans for two and a half months, I have definitely noticed the huge differences in healthy food options and misconceptions about nutrition. Transplanting from Los Angeles has really been a wake up call, where health is taken to extremes, with green juices and kale chips substituting a meal, and two-hour spin classes being a normal workout. In New Orleans, I have learned that the standard of health and nutrition is much different, even among those who are working to help make positive changes in these areas. Where a green smoothie would be a standard after school snack in Los Angeles, we worked this week to help kids in St. Anna's Arts for Kids program make the switch from Hot Cheetos to celery and peanut butter or Mexican pizza. It has been really eye-opening to see how different the standards of nutrition are here in Louisiana, and I am very inspired to continue working in the community to help shift these beliefs.
This month, I have volunteered several times at the St. Anna's Arts for Kids Saturday program as a Nutrition Class Assistant. We educated the students in the class on the nutritional benefits of celery, and ways to balance their diet with things like raisins and peanut butter, as opposed to the nutrient-deficient Hot Cheetos option. The next week, we helped make Mexican pizzas, learning about the nutritional value of beans, salsa, and cheese. My co-volunteer and roommate Ruby and I are going to be working with the director of the program to design future curriculum that will teach the students about making healthy food choices.
I have also been volunteering at Edible SchoolYard at the Samuel Green School, working with seventh graders that have chosen cooking as their elective. This class is geared toward teaching them cooking techniques that can help them pursue a future in the food industry. We have learned how to make deviled eggs and mac and cheese from scratch, as well as ice cream! I have learned a lot already about cooking, and have been very inspired by the enthusiasm of the students.
Next month, I will cover more about working on the St. Anna's Medical Mission mobile healthcare unit.
Total October: 8.5 hours
ESY: 3 hours
SAAK: 2 hours
SAMM: 3.5 hours
Total: 30 hours
