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Community field experiences averaged 25 hours for the spring semester. Most of this is
ongoing volunteer work that is done at a local food pantry. Community field experience
consisted of representing America on the Move at the Healthy Living Expo, Jehovah Jireh
community food and clothing pantry on a continued basis, and Second Harvest Food Bank for
Organization
America on the Move (AOM) is a non-profit internet support system for individuals
wanting to incorporate physical activity into their lives. Partnerships have been formed with
organizations such as American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and American Academy of
Family Physicians (AAFP) as a way to promote the support system to others. The premise
behind America on the Move is that small, specific changes in physical activity and calorie
intake can facilitate slow weight loss. Long-term incremental changes are advocated.
Online tools and resources, AOM's personalized program, community support and fun events are
all part of the program. Physical activity can be logged and progress is available at anytime.
Food ideas, tips and recipes are available. Participants can calculate target weight, download tip
sheets, step conversion charts, and logging forms. For a fee, corporations and schools can
implement a program complete with pedometers and goal setting. The population served is
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Observations
On January 22nd from 9-11am and 23rd from 9-11am, I spent four hours representing
America on the Move at the healthy living expo in Knoxville. My role at the expo was to
provide information about AOM to the participants at the expo. The healthy living expo was
produced by Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Representatives from hospitals, wellness centers, and
During the four hours I was there, approximately 40 people stopped by our booth. I
found that participants of the expo were more interested in activities that they could actually put
their hands on. Many of the visitors were senior citizens. When they visited the booth, I found it
difficult to get them on board with AOM. They indicated that they did follow an activity
Analysis/Reflection
AOM is a good program for the motivated individual. Sensible nutritional practices are
promoted for incremental lifestyle change. This is contrary to the quick fix solution often
sought. It requires investigation into the program and daily attention to it. Computer skills are
also necessary to participate. I assume this is part of the reason senior citizens may not be as
interested in it. Positive features include easy access and availability to a common sense support
program. This would be an excellent resource for someone who does not have a support system
and a great opportunity to connect with others. It also provides information regarding the area
and would be useful to a new resident of the community. It is indicative of the advances and
common use of technology on a daily basis. I enjoyed my experience and felt like I did offer
some tools to some of the visitors. I may have done a better job of sharing information is I had
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Jehovah-Jireh food pantry
Organization
TN. There are no qualifications of income to seek assistance. The pantry stocks non-perishable
foods and toiletries as well as clothing for those in need. The community served is basically
anyone who claims to need assistance in the Blount County area. In addition to providing food
and clothing, they have started to stock basic school supplies throughout the school year. Upon
request, spiritual counseling and prayer are offered. Prepared meals are served at certain times of
Observations
I volunteered on January 17, February 14, March 14, and April 4 from 9am-12pm. I
assisted with assembling the food items for the recipients and often had time to have a
conversation with them. Many had much to share. The pantry is set up so the recipients have a
choice of items instead of being given a bag with no choice. This takes a little more time but
gives the recipients a bit of control of what they prefer and offers more of a shopping experience.
Depending on family size, the choices change. For instance, a family of three has a choice of two
cans of meat, two cans of beans, two cans vegetables, two cans of fruits, a fruit juice, a box of
cereal or oatmeal, and a complete meal such as hamburger helper or spaghetti noodles and sauce.
When available, bags of flour, sugar, dry milk and peanut butter can be requested. It is a first
come first serve set up and it is not out of the ordinary for those at the end of the line to miss out
on more popular items. It is a no questions asked facility and anyone who is in need may visit.
Self sufficiency is encouraged and lay ministers are available to work with individuals to find
ways towards independence. Many of the participants are living below the poverty level and do
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not possess the skills to support themselves for one reason or another. Others are experiencing
temporary financial difficulties. On any given Saturday, 15 to 45 individuals of all ages and
families are served. The majority of recipients are white Americans and a small percentage of
African Americans. They receive enough food to last for approximately two weeks. During my
Analysis/Reflection
The pantry deals with the issue of food insecurity and socialization. Unfortunately, the
food is based on economics more than health. The pantry depends solely on donors and much of
the food is canned and boxed processed foods. On occasion donors bring in fresh foods from
their gardens or large bags of rice and food that goes a long way. The recipients do not appear
interested in these items. It was eye opening to me to see this. I questioned whether they did not
have the knowledge to prepare the foods or did not have an awareness of the benefits of such
foods. It also caused me to reflect on our growing obesity problem. As epidemiological reports
show, much of our obese population is below the poverty level. This is counter to what is
perceived by the general public. This is a problem being considered by the pantry but is not the
primary concern. In addition to the problem with nutrition, the no questions asked premise does
get abused. The ministry strives to encourage individuals to seek self sufficiency but at the root
of the ministry is to treat each individual with respect and dignity. The few individuals this
program helps by far outweigh the abuse in the system. I feel as though I make a difference and
Organization
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Second Harvest provides food, services and education to an 18 county service area.
Second Harvest is growing due to the continued economic issues facing our society and hunger.
According to the website, the need for food has increased 45% this year and demands are
exceeding supply. In our community, 238,831 people are at risk of hunger. More than 140,000
meals were delivered last month. Over 93% of the budget is spent on supplying food where it is
most needed. For every dollar donated, three meals are provided.
Second Harvest of East Tennessee supplies food to over 400 partner agencies. These
agencies pay approximately 14 cents a pound and are required to solicit food as well and are to
only serve the needy. There are many different entities within Second Harvest. Aside from
providing food to needy families, Second Harvest offers job training assistance and education to
the community regarding issues related to hunger. In addition, Second Harvest in Knoxville has
arranged to collect prepared and perishable foods; which would otherwise be thrown away; from
local restaurants, schools, groceries and other sources in our community (3).
Observations
On February 2, 2009, I worked from 1-4pm. The time was spent placing labels on cans of
beans that had been donated by one of their larger donors, Bush Beans. We labeled
approximately two full palates of cans which averaged out to be approximately 3600 cans. It
was not very exciting but I did realize how important this need was. I learned that Second
Harvest is very careful to only provide safe canned food items and questionable cans are
discarded as this was one of our roles. This is vital to maintain the safety level of foods being
offered. I also realized the magnitude of food that moves through the warehouse. The
warehouse is large and much food is stored there. The weather was poor when we were there
and the warehouse was empty other than a few volunteers. I did not have an opportunity to
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witness people come in and select food. My time as Second Harvest allowed me to help roughly
1500 individuals based on the assumption that each person receives two cans of beans.
Analysis/reflection
I have been involved with food drives for second harvest and never realized how large of
an organization it really is. Operations for Second Harvest are very efficient and will continue to
be an important player in the reduction of food insecurity in the community. In particular, I find
the job skills portion of Second Harvest to be as important as the food collected and distributed.
Self sufficiency is a much better option than continued charitable acts. Those receiving the
training will have more control over their lives and hopefully will be able to support themselves
Organization
Maryville Middle School serves all seventh and eighth grade students in the Maryville
City School system. The overall student population consists of over 750 students. The school
system takes a very progressive approach to health and wellness in addition to academics and
implemented a health screening program for all the schools. It includes eye and hearing exams,
Observations
On January 20th from 8am-2pm, I assisted with the screening. I was in charge of the
weight and height anthropometric measurements for the 8th grade class. The measurements took
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place during the wellness period for each student. During each class, approximately 30 students
came in. I was in a room isolated from the rest of the screening volunteers and students entered
one at a time to get their weight. I was instructed by the nurse in charge to refrain from
Analysis/reflection
This assignment was a difficult one. Many of the girls were embarrassed about getting
their weight taken and made negative comments about their weight. Since I was instructed to
remain quiet, I felt helpless. I also overheard many of the girls discussing weight among each
other. I feel as though this could have been managed differently. I do not see the benefit in total
silence when a girl is actively criticizing herself. Having had an eating disorder myself at this
age, I would choose trained professionals to work with this population. I questioned if gaining
insight into the overall BMI of the group was worth the emotional side effects that resulted.
Weight measurements are often feared by women in general. Combined with the peer setting,
these feelings can be amplified. If these measurements must be performed in the school setting,
my thoughts are to bring in one kid at a time without their peers waiting outside the room.
Perhaps the teacher or nurse could discuss the purpose of the measurements and different body
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