Recipients of food products from Mississippi Food Network agencies across South Mississippi will also receive vital nutrition information from University of Southern Mississippi students.

This recently formed partnership between the network and the Department of Nutrition and Food Systems in the Southern Miss College of Health will place students at local agencies for one week during their post-graduate internship year.

“The agencies would like to provide food nutrition education, but do not always have the resources to do so. This is where our students come in,” said Dr. Elaine Molaison, Southern Miss associate professor and dietetic internship director. “Our interns will also gain experience from a setting they have not worked in before. We want them to become civic-minded nutrition educators.”

The Mississippi Food Network distributes donated and purchased food and grocery products through a network of member churches and nonprofit organizations such as Christian Services in Hattiesburg, Operation Shoestring in Jackson and Twelve Baskets on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Molaison said the intern program meets the need to provide nutrition information along with the donated food. Students will assist in food receiving and distribution, learn about food procurement and costs associated, analyze service populations and create educational sessions on consumer health and methods to enhance food resources and develop a wellness program.

The internship opportunity began after Southern Miss nutrition student Whitney Brown worked with the Mississippi Food Network this year. She taught nutrition lessons on health snack options at Operation Shoestring, Inc. and held food demonstrations for senior citizens at Anderson United Methodist Church in Jackson.

“We are what we eat and nutrition education is an integral part of our health,” said Dr. Martha Alexander, deputy director of Operation Shoestring. The agency provides after-school programming, a food pantry and the StampOut DropOut program to families in mid-city and southern Georgetown neighborhoods of Jackson. “We want to give these students an area to practice and share with us what they have learned.”

Molaison said students will intern at Mississippi Food Network agencies on the Coast, Hattiesburg and Jackson this fall.

“We look forward to a continued relationship with the Southern Miss Dietetic Intern Program as an enhancement to our programs at Mississippi Food Network,” said Walker Satterwhite, executive director of Mississippi Food Network. “The skills and knowledge the interns will bring will be a great benefit and will help us better serve our member agencies.”

About The University of Southern Mississippi

The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities. In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.