Feeding the community

What’s the best way to feed an entire community? Holistically.

In her role as a community health and nutrition administrator at the Salvation Army, Meghan Zook ’15 oversees the food pantry along with nutrition and health programming.

“Our biggest hurdle we have to constantly assess and deal with is the demand,” said Zook. “We’re continuously trying to figure out options for people to get food. People are struggling right now—and they will continue to struggle. We will have to keep problem-solving.”

What’s a typical day like at a food pantry? It’s making sure that people in the community have access to free and healthy food—and offering it in a dignified way. One way to accomplish that is to allow people to shop in what looks like a small grocery store.

“You should be able to pick your food. I pay close attention to the client experience. Are you using their preferred language? Are we stocking the pantry with culturally appropriate foods?” asked Zook. “It’s hard to ask for help. We don’t want to make it any harder. We want them to come back.”

And that’s just the feeding side of things. Zook’s nutrition expertise comes into play by offering free health and cooking classes for all ages in an eight-station teaching kitchen at the Salvation Army. The classes include topics such as meal planning and eating healthy on a budget.

“Anyone of any budget can come to the classes,” she said.

She also helps oversee nutrition classes in afterschool programs, teen groups and summer programs while partnering with the United Way on diabetes and heart disease classes.

Giving back to Messiah, she serves as a preceptor for the dietetic internship food insecurity rotation and on the University’s dietetics program advisory board.

Zook was recently recognized as one of Central Penn Business Journals Health Care Heroes as a Community Outreach Hero. Heroes are selected based on professional achievement, community involvement and inspiring change—three areas where she clearly excels.

“Working with a nonprofit, they’ve given me an incredible opportunity to expand,” said Zook. “The flexibility and ability to be creative, that motivates me. Not many dietitians get to do something like this. The energy I get from interacting with the community, I can’t find it anywhere else. To teach people and to eat with people, I can tell it means a lot to them—and it means a lot to me, as well.”

— Anna Seip