Story By Margaret D. Smith
Photo By Greg Schneider
Nutrition Student Serves Up Kindness and
Education to Senior Citizens at Food Bank
Once a month, retired
schoolteacher Sarah Clarke comes to the food bank at
Hopelink,
a community action agency for low-income people. At 70 years old,
this
Redmond, Washington, resident never thought she'd be standing in
line for food.
But since her retirement, she's lived on a fixed income that keeps
shrinking
in value as food prices rise. After Sarah's husband died, she lost
interest in
cooking. Since she eats few meals, her health has suffered. Besides
this, she's
a bit lonely.
Though Sarah is a fictional character, plenty of low-income seniors just
like
her live on the mostly affluent Eastside, a few miles from Seattle.
According to
Mary Podrabsky, associate director for Seattle Senior Services, "Poverty is
the
number one indicator of nutritional risk among seniors."
Enter Larissa George, a 21-year-old Seattle Pacific University senior from
Richland, Washington. George, a nutrition major, wanted to create a
practical,
hands-on nutrition education program for her senior honors project. Although
Hopelink was already offering a series of nutrition education workshops, the
center needed a similar program just for senior citizens.
George created a pilot program with support from Hopelink and her advisor,
Associate Professor of Family and Consumer Sciences Evette Hackman.
Though George was willing to fund a smaller version of the program by
herself,
Hackman urged her to apply for SPU's 2000-2001 Living and Learning Grant to
pay for expenses. The $3,000 grant, sponsored by the Office of
Student Life
and the Office of
Academic Affairs,
is given to foster projects that integrate the curriculum with
out-of-class learning.
George's popular monthly program, "Eat Smart, Live Well for Seniors," ran
from January to June. As part of the program, she served meals she created
from common food bank ingredients. One session's meal included tropical
chicken kebabs, two kinds of salad and chocolate oatmeal cookies made with
pureed prunes. George chose the cuisine specifically for seniors: "Foods
need to be softer, easy to chew. In feedback, they tell me they want nothing
too
exotic. They like what they're used to."
During the meals, George led interactive workshops. Topics ranged from
choosing heart-healthy ingredients to fixing easy meals for one person. At
one session, George spoke about managing weight through exercise. "Little
things you do already — gardening, housekeeping — it all counts
as exercise."
One senior piped up, "Not everybody needs to lose weight. I walk my dog five
times a day, and I've lost 32 pounds."
Without missing a beat, George answered, "Great point. Not everyone is
trying to lose weight. If you're walking your dog five times a day, you're
already staying in shape!"
Being able to gauge the seniors' needs is an important part of George's
project. "Larissa's Christian spirit is strong," says Hackman. "She's able
to be lively and yet quiet inside, so she can see what their needs are."
According to Dean of Student Life Kathleen Braden, those reviewing the
Living and Learning Grant proposals chose George's project because "we
looked for a specific community project that could be accomplished in a
short time frame. Larissa showed a lot of initiative, interacting with her
teacher and the community to make a positive
difference."
That positive difference shows in George's growth as a leader. Halfway
through the six-month program, Alice Kurle, head of Food Stamp Education at
Hopelink, said, "Larissa is much more confident than when she started. It's
great to see her grow like this. She's very poised." According to Kurle,
Hopelink plans to use George's program at all six of its locations.
For future years, the Living and Learning Grant Committee at Seattle Pacific
wants to find a donor who will fund the grant independently. Says Braden,
"This would be a wonderful concrete action for an individual or business,
encouraging student leadership in the community."
As for George, her goal is to join the Peace Corps, giving nutrition
education workshops in other countries. "I think we are all hungry," she
says, "hungry for God, for acceptance, for food. Sharing a meal can nourish
in all of these areas."
Grant winner Larissa George (center) and her advisor Dr. Evette Hackman (right) worked on gearing George's nutrition classes toward topics the seniors wanted. Most requested was a class on cooking easy meals for one or two people, followed by planning meals on a budget.
| Please
read our
disclaimer.
Send any questions, comments or correspondence about Response to
jgilnett@spu.edu or call 206-281-2051. Copyright © 2001 University Communications, Seattle Pacific University.
Seattle Pacific University |