Hello, my name is Itzel Esparza Esparza and I am a Sodexo Intern in San Diego, California. I am currently half way through my community rotation at Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in National City, California. It is a nice little suburb full of people that are empowered to make a difference in their families’ lifestyles and in their communities. This suburb, ten years ago, was classified as the city with the highest rate of obesity, and National City took it into their hands to turn this around. Now, they have a vast number of programs that they provide from Head Start children all the way to the senior population. In 2010, this organization saw the need to teach children about healthy eating lifestyles, and they invited the National School District and other schools to bring their children so they could learn about science, gardening, and nutrition education. Later, they realized that they needed to educate the parents and guardians that cooked at home for these children so they could apply what they learned at home, too.
It has been my honor to be a co-nutrition educator here at the garden. I have taught roughly 200 students about recycling in the kitchen and in the garden, proper hydration to 3 to 12-year-old students, and how food intersects with identities as a topic for a high school human geography class. Teaching while cooking or walking around a 100% sustainable garden makes me happy, but seeing a student’s eagerness to learn in this environment makes it more worthwhile. Community nutrition comes in different settings, and I admire the work that registered dietitians do in farm-to-table settings like this. I essentially teach about two to four, 45-minute nutrition education classes and get to eat what I cook with the kids. It is never a boring day in that kitchen.
It has been my honor to be a co-nutrition educator here at the garden. I have taught roughly 200 students about recycling in the kitchen and in the garden, proper hydration to 3 to 12-year-old students, and how food intersects with identities as a topic for a high school human geography class. Teaching while cooking or walking around a 100% sustainable garden makes me happy, but seeing a student’s eagerness to learn in this environment makes it more worthwhile. Community nutrition comes in different settings, and I admire the work that registered dietitians do in farm-to-table settings like this. I essentially teach about two to four, 45-minute nutrition education classes and get to eat what I cook with the kids. It is never a boring day in that kitchen.
I have also helped with compiling the list of produce we need for programs in the kitchen and other holiday programs. This past Halloween, they sent me to get this Big Mac Pumpkin from a local vendor for decoration around our Haunted House. If the kids were good instead of a trick, they were sent home with a treat of an apple! I have helped make over 100 calls inviting people to an upcoming focus group for a special study with UCSD where participants will be in a low-fat vegan diet to see if this improves certain aspects of heart disease. These participants will be given nutrition education by Registered Dietitians, culinary education by trained chefs, and a chance to enjoy the meal they prepare.
Every Thursday morning I have also been helping their Produce Stand where, for a donation, people from the community get to take vegetables and fruits home that were grown that week on our garden. It is crazy to see the need and desire people have for local, organic, and sustainable produce. I have helped create a Spanish and English questionnaire, as a needs assessment, for us to assess if we can ask for a stable donation and better understand why the community decides to come to our Produce Stand.
Every Thursday morning I have also been helping their Produce Stand where, for a donation, people from the community get to take vegetables and fruits home that were grown that week on our garden. It is crazy to see the need and desire people have for local, organic, and sustainable produce. I have helped create a Spanish and English questionnaire, as a needs assessment, for us to assess if we can ask for a stable donation and better understand why the community decides to come to our Produce Stand.
Overall, it amazes me how quickly community nutrition became a place to call home. I get to cook, network, communicate with participants and children, and educate all generations from various backgrounds on how they can change their lives through food.
