Cooking with Purpose
“On a personal level, witnessing the challenges faced by individuals and families in poverty can foster a deeper sense of empathy and understanding. It can shift perspectives, highlighting the importance of community support and social responsibility. This experience has led to a commitment to advocate for social justice and engage more actively in community service.”
As the Hunger & Health Coordinator at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Holly Davenport serves in the Nutrition Education Department, where she builds capacity of Food as Medicine programming. Next year, the Food Bank will be piloting a medically tailored meals program accommodating heart healthy and diabetic illnesses. For her part, Holly is working to develop recipes that fit the nutritional standards of this program. During her first 5 months of service, she has been proud to double the size of the recipe library featuring medically tailored meals. Since it has been a challenge to develop recipes that are medically beneficial, appealing, and cost-effective, Holly is particularly proud of this feat.
Holly’s role also includes managing volunteers for Nourishing Beginnings, a program aimed at improving community birth outcomes through nutrition and social support. Coordinating box packing and deliveries to program participant households, Holly ensures the smooth execution of this vital program. In addition to managing volunteers, she also oversees the Training Kitchen, scheduling Nutrition Educators who conduct cooking demos for the community. Developing SOPs for the Demo kitchen, Holly is working to promote the sustainability of this new service offering.
So far in service, one of Holly’s most significant professional achievements has been having the opportunity to shoot a cooking demo for a TV show called “Food for Thought,” which aired on October 15th on a local cable channel.
“This is something that I have always wanted to do and serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA member has opened that door for me,” says Holly.
As a result of her experience as a VISTA member, Holly has felt increasingly drawn to a career path in Nutrition Education, what she calls “cooking with purpose.” Following service, she hopes to continue in a role at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, but she also has her own business plans.
“With regards to my business goals, I will expand and rebrand my catering business to center around healthy delicious cuisine along with the education to make that a lifestyle, where food and community meet,” she says.
Service has provided Holly with a context to grow important professional skills, such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. She has also learned the operational aspects of nonprofit organizations, such as resource management, program development, and the importance of stakeholder engagement. In addition to being professionally transformative, Holly’s service has also been impactful to her personally.
“On a personal level,” she says, “witnessing the challenges faced by individuals and families in poverty can foster a deeper sense of empathy and understanding. It can shift perspectives, highlighting the importance of community support and social responsibility. This experience has led to a commitment to advocate for social justice and engage more actively in community service.”
Holly highly recommends national service to others as an opportunity to grow, impact the community, network, and gain a deeper social awareness.
Great work, Holly, and thanks for your service!
