Furman’s Department of Health Sciences has taught a plate based approach to healthy eating called FUEL for many years. State of the art assessments of blood work and body composition have suggested that this easy eating pattern can help to 1) improve nutrient intake, 2) facilitate weight management, and 3) improve health outcomes associated with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
During the 2017-8 academic year, eighteen of our Health Sciences and Pubic Health majors carried this message of health and wellness to underserved members of the Greenville Community. Here are a few highlights from our first year in review:
Fall of 2015: Our initiative began several years ago when Miracle Hill’s Greenville Rescue Mission contacted the Furman Department of Health Sciences for assistance. Many of the men at the shelter battled high blood pressure, diabetes, or mental health disorders. The Rescue Mission was interested in serving healthier meals but didn’t know where to begin. With an extremely limited food budget and rotating volunteer kitchen staff, they reached out for help. We shared the results of our FUEL program and suggested that they try to fill each plate 1/2 with vegetables and fruits, 1/4 with whole grains or potatoes, and 1/4 with lean proteins. Registered dietitian Courtney Lee Ellen and I (Kelly Frazier) began training the kitchen staff and managers about building healthier plates. We also sought assistance from other community partners such as Loaves and Fishes food rescue program, Harvest Hope emergency food bank, and Gardening for Good. Interestingly, we learned that many of our underserved community members have access to an abundance of food. The problem is that the majority of these foods– white bread, sugary drinks, fatty meats, and processed foods– don’t support a healthy lifestyle. Healthful foods were in short supply and many people didn’t know how to prepare these healthful foods in ways that were delicious to eat.
Spring 2017: As our community partnerships grew, Furman Health Sciences and Public Health majors became eager to become involved. Sarah Mixon (’19) and I worked together to develop a pilot internship program curriculum called FUEL the Community. The premise was simple: students would be trained in the FUEL healthy eating program curriculum and then receive internship credit by implementing it directly with our local non-profits in need.
Sarah taught healthy eating and wellness classes at Miracle Hill’s Renewal Center which is a six month residential addiction recovery program for women. She began implementing regular walking programs with the women to help them improve their physical health, mood, and addiction recovery process. Sarah also taught basic health education and cooking workshops geared toward low income individuals at Greer Relief and San Souci Church.
Fall 2017: The FUEL the Community Internship Program was officially launched with nine Health Sciences and Public Health majors: Gabe Silveria, Catherine Jones, John Vangellow, Meg Lingo, Jose Morales, Meera Jairath, Sun Lee, Becca Bosch, and Helen Hardy. Students worked as a team to assist twelve local agencies. This experience helped them to observe and assist with a large food system. Gabe and Catherine (pictured below) assisted Loaves and Fishes Food Recovery Program as they rescued food from local grocery stores and delivered it to community members in need.
Students also worked with the Miracle Food Warehouse to help organize food donations, display healthful foods in prominent areas, and assist clients with healthful choices.
Becca, Catherine, and Helen worked closely with Miracle Hill Shepherd’s Gate to lead healthy eating and wellness classes and assist with healthful meal preparation. Shepherd’s Gate is a homeless shelter for women, many of whom are waiting to be admitted to Renewal’s Addiction Recovery Center. Students worked side by side with these women to provide support and encouragement.
Helen and Becca (below) help to prepare healthful meals at Miracle Hill’s Renewal Center. A major focus of the the initiative was the increase vegetable and fruit consumption at each meal.
Students co-led wellness classes for the women to address their questions and needs. Below, Becca is teaching about eating disorder consequences and treatments as well as promoting healthful body image and wellness habits.
Students also assisted Miracle Hill’s Overcomers Center which is an addiction recovery program for men. Below, Sun Lee used his training and experience through the FIT Rx program to demonstrate correct form in the facility fitness center.
Sun, Gabe Silveria (below), and John Vangellow worked together to provide the men at Overcomers with a training resource manual to provide them with general exercise advice during their addiction recovery process. Many of the men were interested in exercising but needed some guidance to begin.
Gabe also led regular nutrition and wellness classes for the men at Overcomers– many of whom were eager to learn everything that they could as they worked toward a healthier body, mind, and spirit.
Spring 2018– During our second semester, eight additional students continued to develop and improve our outreach efforts: Jen Stephenson, Baillie Steele, Daniyal Roshan, Royall Tyler, Crystal Valente, Tedra Shepherd, Willough Davis, and Tess Lesesne. Royall (below) taught health education at Harvest Hope Emergency food bank, Greer Relief, and Miracle Hill’s Renewal Center. Below, she demonstrates how to make a healthful fruit parfait with canned pineapple, plain yogurt, and granola that are all common staples at the food bank.
Bilingual students are a tremendous asset for our community partners. Daniyal Roshan worked with the health care providers at Greenville Free Medical Clinic and Unity Health on Main to provide health education for Spanish speaking individuals.
Daniyal particularly enjoyed using her double major in Spanish and Health Sciences to help others in need. In the photo below, she encourages participants to eat seasonal vegetables and fruits because they tend to be the most affordable, flavorful, and nutritious.
The staff at Unity Health on Main were particularly excited to implement the FUEL- based, healthy eating strategies with their clients.
Daniyal teaches individuals at the Greenville Free Medical Clinic about whole grains and provides a sample of delicious two-ingredient Banana Oat Cookies that are always a big hit, even among picky eaters. 
Jen Stephenson worked closely with the Miracle Hill Warehouse to organize food donations, display healthful options in prominent places, steer clients toward healthier selections, and provide education and direction about how to use them. She also taught health education classes at the North Greenville Crisis Ministry for community members who desired to improve their health but needed direction to begin.
Baillie Steele, Tedra Sheperd, and Crystal Valente (below) made very special bonds supporting the woman at Renewal’s Addiction Recovery Center. Each week throughout the internship, students explore scholarly literature about exercise science and nutrition. They were excited to learn that many simple lifestyle behaviors such as exercise and a healthy diet can promote not only physical health, but also mental wellness. For example, exercise may help to reduce depression, anxiety, restlessness, and cravings during the addiction recovery process. In the past, many women had resorted to high sugar foods and beverages to assist with restlessness and cravings. With the help of the FUEL the Community interns, they learned how regular exercise, such as walking outdoors, can be a healthier coping strategy. Each week, the students led regular walking groups with the residents and helped to provide support and encouragement. The women of Renewal eagerly awaited for the students to arrive for each walking session and the students expressed that these weekly walks were a highlight of their entire semester at Furman.
Jen, Crystal, and Baillie (below) also enjoyed teaching young adolescent girls about healthy eating and health education at Miracle Hill’s children’s home. The interns were able to provide positive role models and support and thoroughly enjoyed building relationships with the girls. Below, they taught the girls how to make delicious Green Monster smoothies with fruit and fresh spinach or kale. As usual, they were a big hit.
So what is next? The FUEL the Community internship will continue each fall and spring term . This partnership continues to be mutually beneficial. It provides Furman students with an opportunity to use their skills and expertise to serve individuals in the community while receiving academic credit. Local non-profits receive much needed assistance promoting a wellness lifestyle. We hope to continue to work together with our community partners to promote health in the Greenville community.
For more information about the FUEL the Community internship program at Furman, please email Mrs. Kelly Frazier at kelly.frazier@furman.edu