“I can honestly say that I had no idea I could make such an impact. When I came on as a volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank, I thought I might be one of those people who wasn’t really needed, but got to see what was going on,” says Elizabeth Lohrmeyer of her work in her new city.
Ms. Lohrmeyer is most definitely needed as part of the Healthy Eating Program, especially given her years of experience as a 4H Food and Nutrition teacher.
“I love teaching kids how to cook and how to make healthy food choices,” she says. “It’s neat to see kids’ minds change about food despite their habits of eating food that’s not always healthy.”
The same thing happens at the food bank, when people try recipes made from low-cost, healthy foods and are reminded just how flavorful healthy food can be.
“They taste the new recipe, and say, ‘This is delicious! What’s in this?’ And when I tell them it contains brown rice, they say, ‘But I don’t like brown rice!’ Stuff like that happens all the time ,” Ms. Lohrmeyer says.
“I love showing and serving the dishes and having conversations,” she says, noting that for her, volunteering was a good way to get to know the Washington DC region when she and her husband were transferred here from Seattle, WA.
Her volunteer hours are spent offering Healthy Meal demonstrations to the community organizations which distribute food to the needy. She also takes part in the Recipe Testing sessions which go on in the teaching kitchen at the Capital Area Food Bank – a day spent tweaking recipes to make them easy and accessible to those who eat on a tight budget.
“I grew up watching my mom volunteer and I have just always thought it is something we should all do.”