Four Fairfield Egan clinical nutrition students completed their 60-hour community nutrition practicum at the Bridgeport Rescue Mission, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Bridgeport Rescue Mission is a non-profit organization that provides vital services to men, woman, and children facing hunger, homelessness, and addiction.

Clinical nutrition students Connie Cholewczynski, Presley Richardson, Kalan Dunham, and Alexandra Matthews strategized on a variety of projects and initiatives. They created a food labeling system in the food pantry, trained volunteers, and provided educational programs on healthy meal planning. They worked collaboratively with the farmers markets to ensure community members have access to fresh food and enhanced awareness of the markets. Additionally, they worked with nursing students in the Know Your Numbers program taking blood pressure, blood sugars, and other data and assisted community members with questions.

“Getting the opportunity to work at Bridgeport Rescue Mission was an amazing experience. We were able to connect with not only staff but also residents and I believe we all made an impact on the community,” said Matthews.

This unique opportunity gave the students a chance to apply their knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom to the greater community.

“Having the students jump in and get to the organization as quickly as they did, along with their willingness to provide programing that was not only beneficial but sustainable, will have a lasting impact on the community once they leave,” said Emma Gulick, senior manager of community engagement and workforce development at Bridgeport Rescue Mission.

This sentiment was echoed by Mike Whiting, pantry manager. “It was valuable having people whose in-depth knowledge of nutrition was helpful in educating my team, and the community so they can make healthy food choices for themselves and their children.” 

Learn more about the doctorate in clinical nutrition program at fairfield.edu/dcn.