My Road to Philadelphia: Part I

Part I:

As a new college graduate in May of 2013, I threw my cap into the air and tried to prepare myself for the “real world” with an idea of where I was going next, but not a clue as to what I was supposed to do with my future; let alone what I was supposed to do with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. There was always the option to apply for a dietetic internship in preparation to become a Registered Dietitian, or take a credential test to become a Dietetic Technician; however neither of those careers appealed to me. Graduate school was an option as well; however I did not want to succumb to the pressure to enter something I did not feel ready for at the time. More than anything, I knew I wanted to do something outside of the typical job or school route after graduation. In need of some “soul searching,” if you will, I left the little suburban town of Foxboro, MA and hopped on a plane to Denver, CO that fall to begin an incredible year serving with AmeriCorps NCCC in the Southwest Region. 

From building trail shelters in Arkansas and houses with Habitat for Humanity in Oklahoma City, to welding a hangar structure together in Austin, TX, I was certainly staying busy. Of course I blinked and it was already time to plan for what I would be doing when my year of service with NCCC was over. As much as I loved the physical challenges and outdoor work that came with being a corps member in NCCC, there was still a part of me that had been yearning to put my nutrition degree to use. I thought about it one day and realized my passion at the time really came down to two things- community nutrition and AmeriCorps. With that in mind, I frantically began searching and applying for other AmeriCorps programs that were health based in one way or another. I came across the National Health Corps (NHC) and it immediately sparked my interest.  An AmeriCorps State and National program, the mission of NHC is to reduce health care disparities and increase access to health care services and education in four different cities in the U.S: Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Chicago, and North Florida.  After doing some research I knew that this was going to be on the top of my list, and that Philadelphia was my target. So why was Philadelphia my main focus then?

During the summer of 2012, I had the opportunity to work as a Food Auditor for a company called Nutritional Development Services out of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. My tasks included traveling to summer camps, schools, or feeding sites in Philadelphia where children were receiving free breakfast or lunch through the School Lunch Program.  I was monitoring to make sure the food was being served at the correct temperature, that every child was getting a complete meal, etc.  In addition to this, I also began to work as a Nutrition Educator through the Greater Hunger Coalition of Philadelphia, providing nutrition education services to the places I would monitor. Although my lessons were primarily child based, parents and other adults approached me with nutrition questions about protein or vegetables. I listened to stories about the hardships some families faced in order to give their child a healthy meal or receive proper healthcare in general.  Prior to this experience, I had always heard about the health and nutrition issues in other parts of the world, but it wasn’t until individuals in Philadelphia shared their stories with me that I realized how evident these problems were in our own country. When I completed work that summer and headed back home to Massachusetts, I had a strong feeling that I would return at some point in the future to work towards creating healthier futures for individuals and families in Philadelphia.

This post was written by PHC member Stephanie Storer.
Stephanie serves at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health - Health Center #9 as a Patient Assistance Program Advocate.