Meet Alicia!

Alicia is a Public Health AmeriCorps Member serving at Good Shepherd Food Bank. Read below to learn about Alicia's AmeriCorps experience in her own words.

"I serve at Good Shepherd Food Bank running one of their programs called Cooking Matters. Cooking Matters is a wonderful program developed to target food insecurity in our communities. It is a free program that teaches participants basic nutrition education, basic cooking skills, how to grocery shop on a budget, etc. Each course is traditionally 6 weeks long, about 2 hours per lesson where we discuss an education component and cook a meal together. 

The best part of my position is not only working with a wonderful crew of people, but I get to cook with participants and answer any of their burning questions about nutrition or tips for saving money at the grocery store. I love being a resource for people, so this part of the job is very fulfilling for me. I also love getting to cook with participants and enjoying what we make together. It opens up a unique dialogue about how cooking food can be enjoyable, satiating, cost-effective, and nutritious.    

My biggest goal with taking on this position was to practice my public speaking skills. I have always been nervous when giving presentations, but now that I am running my own cooking classes and doing some education lessons, I have built a confidence within myself that I wasn't sure was ever there. I'm not saying I am a professional public speaker now, but I am a lot more confident and far less nervous than I was previously.    

The best moment of my service so far has been the conversations I've had with host sites about why the Cooking Matters program is so important. We do a lot of community outreach at numerous potential community sites in Southern Maine to host future Cooking Matters classes. It has been an absolute joy connecting with different sites and talking about how beneficial the course would be in their community, and the bigger picture of fighting food insecurity.   

I will be finishing my AmeriCorps term in July, so I will be back to working in my hometown and going on adventures on the side before starting graduate school in September. I have my bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine Orono in Nutrition & Dietetics, so I will be continuing this same journey by receiving my Master’s in Nutrition.    

I joined AmeriCorps specifically for the Cooking Matters educator position. I knew it would bring me outside my comfort zone while still allowing me to work in the field I love. It's been a wonderful experience, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.    

I serve because AmeriCorps members fill the gap in our communities that are often overlooked. As an AmeriCorps member working for Good Shepherd Food Bank, I can work in communities that cannot be seen by other nutrition educators. There are food insecure members in EVERY community, so it's wonderful that we can reach so many different communities, which is important because everyone deserves to have access to food and education.”