From Data to Healthy Food Access

As the Hunger & Health VISTA member at the Ohio Association of Foodbanks (OAF), Shelley Hill has been working on several projects with the overall goal of increasing access to healthful foods for Ohioans. For a recent project, Shelley completed a retrospective data analysis on healthful foods procured by OAF’s partner foodbanks. She is currently developing multiple resources for the foodbank network, such as a Healthy Eating Research Guidelines Implementation toolkit and a Healthy Food Access Best Practices toolkit.

During her service, Shelley has taken numerous opportunities to further her professional development, including obtaining a certification in Google’s Professional Project Management course. She has also been proud to have passed the exam to earn her Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) credentials. Through these experiences and her projects, she feels that her confidence has grown as a public health professional, and she now has a more holistic perspective of the communities around her.

Looking back over her service, Shelley is particularly proud of one project in particular. To better understand the rate at which healthful foods are being procured by OAF’s partner foodbanks, Shelley wrote a 60+ page report on the subject. The first of its kind, this report includes both a literature review and retrospective data analysis. Moving forward, it will provide insight for foodbanks that serve as a benchmark for modifying procurement behaviors. For easier dissemination, Shelley synthesized the report into a 2-page summary of her data findings, a document that was recently distributed to OAF’s board.

“I feel very grateful that I got to be a part of this project and provide digestible information that helps the network understand the extent to which our neighbors have access to healthful foods,” she says.

Reflecting on her time at OAF, Shelley feels confident that the deliverables of her VAD will have a lasting impact for Ohio foodbanks. Looking ahead to post-service, she is planning to begin a new role at Madison County Public Health as a Prevention Educator.

“Through that role, I will have the opportunity to gain credentials as a prevention professional through the Ohio Chemical Dependency Board by facilitating and delivering evidence-based prevention programming for Madison County public schools,” she says.

If personal financial situations permit, Shelley recommends serving in AmeriCorps to those looking for professional public health experience. Overall, she feels that service has opened her eyes to the world of foodbanking.

“I have a much greater appreciation for all the work of foodbanks across the state of Ohio,” says Shelley. “Contrary to what I previously believed, foodbanking is so much more than simply handing out food to those in need. While that is the main mission, OAF’s network is multi-faceted by considering several social determinants of health and how they can be addressed to lift neighbors out of poverty. My colleagues and foodbankers in OAF’s network inspire me by pursuing larger than life goals and by keeping the wellbeing of neighbors the central focus on each daily task.”

Thanks for your service, Shelley!