Dietetic Internship Community Nutrition Experience
I completed my community rotations during the months of May through July of 2021. My rotations were at Anoka County WIC and Catholic Charities in St. Cloud, MN.
Anoka County WIC
My rotation with Anoka County WIC was remote due to COVID-19. During this rotation, I completed all of the WIC dietitian training modules, a four day process. I gained a greater understanding of nutrition-focussed problems and diet education for women, infants, and children. I also observed a conference call with a WIC participant and applied much of the information from the training modules. During this rotation, I gained a greater understanding of WIC as well as other community resources as a whole. I grew a new sense of empathy for mothers and families who are going into the unknowns of parenthood with the additional stress of insufficient income, food inequity, and lack of safe housing. WIC is an amazing program, providing hope, comfort, and care for families.
Catholic Charities
During my rotation at Catholic Charities, I prepared and delivered lunches for the YMCA Summer Day Camp, delivered Meals on Wheals to individuals in the St. Cloud area, and distributed meals through the Senior Meal Distribution Program. Additionally, another intern and I created the July and August lunch and breakfast menus and production records for the YMCA Summer Day Camp. We also created alternative menus for gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free diets. The 3-week cycle lunch menu and 3-week cycle lunch production record is attached below.
3-Week Lunch Cycle Menu for YMCA.pdf3-Week Cycle Production Menu for YMCA.pdf