EHE News
Cooking Up Nutrition Education: Alumna Rallies Industry to Equip Schoenbaum Family Center Kitchen
Food preparation at a busy child development center calls for a commercial-quality kitchen that can handle heavy use. Add to that the plan to teach healthy cooking with nutritious foods, and the need for quality equipment skyrockets.
Alumna Georgie Shockey (BS '80, Human Nutrition), of The Woodlands, Texas, prinicipal of Ruck-Shockey Associates, invited industry vendors to join her in outfitting the kitchen at the Schoenbaum Family Center at Weinland Park. She and the 13 vendors, all leaders in the food service equipment industry, provided the latest commercial equipment and all the labor needed to install it.
Shockey, who joined the Human Ecology Alumni Society Board of Governors in order to give back to the college, explained why she got involved.
"When I saw the work that the other disciplines from our college were trying to achieve in creating the new center, I wanted to show that nutrition/food service could contribute as well," she said.
"I also believe that good nutrition and eating habits are influenced at an early age. By giving the center a kitchen with the best commercial equipment and a well-thought-out design, I helped create a place where teaching good food habits would impact these kids and their performance in school, as well as help educate their families."
Shockey had an additional reason for making the gift. "I wanted to send the message that food service and nutrition are great career areas. The collective donors to this project are an example of what makes our industry special. We came together to encourage future food service professionals! If just one of the students each year is imprinted with the desire to enter any aspect of our industry, we'll be content."
"By giving the center a kitchen with the best commercial equipment and a well-thought-out design, I helped create a place where teaching good food habits would impact these kids and their performance in school, as well as help educate their families." - Alumna Georgie Shockey |
Mark Brenner, vice president of The Eagle Group, said his company is always ready to lend a hand to what it deems to be worthy projects for the good of the community. "When Georgie approached us, we carefully evaluated the project and decided it was exactly the type of effort we wanted to join," he said. "Our donation will benefit hundreds of children in the Columbus area and, we hope, lead one or two into a career in food service."
The cumulative value of the gifts is approximately $300,000.
Children and their families will learn healthy nutrition and cooking in the kitchen thanks to an anonymous donor who contributed $100,000 for a nutrition education program. Dr. Marti Andrews, registered dietitian and program director in the Department of Human Nutrition, has written the curriculum. At day's end, kids and parents will cook dinner together with a nutrition expert. They will then take the healthy food home to feed their families.
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