By Gillian Taylor | Staff Writer
Nutrition Outreach Waco, a student organization volunteering with Waco after-school programs, dedicates its services to children by creating lesson plans on nutrition habits and supplying healthy snacks to them for the week.
According to its Connect page, the organization currently volunteers at Highland Baptist Church’s “Wisdom and Instruction from the Lord” program.
Grapevine senior and club president Caroline O’Donnell said members aim to equip children with the knowledge to build a healthy plate. She said she hopes to teach children they must nourish their own bodies before they can put energy into other tasks and do good in the world.
“Nutrition is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle,” O’Donnell said. “They always say ‘You are what you eat,’ and to an extent, that’s kind of true.”
According to O’Donnell, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of volunteers at Nutrition Outreach Waco dwindled. She also said during this time, the club wasn’t able to reach as many after-school programs as it would have liked. As more people join the club, she said she hopes they will have the means to volunteer with programs they have partnered with in the past.
O’Donnell said this year, she will be implementing new lesson plans to target a younger audience.
“We realized looking at different nutrients might be a little too advanced, and we are honing it back this year and focusing only on what’s on their plate,” O’Donnell said.
Nashville, Tenn., junior and club treasurer Ryane Swope said Nutrition Outreach Waco is catered toward those at or below the poverty level. She also said she hopes people understand eating healthy is attainable for everyone.
“If you have a low income or are extremely wealthy and have a personal chef, you can always make adjustments or find what works best for you to have a healthy diet,” Swope said.
O’Donnell said she recalled an instance in which the club provided smoothies for the children, and after the lesson, several of them asked how they could make them if they didn’t own a blender. At that moment, O’Donnell said members of the organization knew they had to shift their focus to make the snacks and healthy eating accessible for everyone.
Swope said Nutrition Outreach Waco teaches in an elementary way so volunteers and interested people don’t feel like they need to be qualified in order to join.
O’Donnell said the organization is always looking for new volunteers and is open to any and all students.
