UVM Med Students Help Food Shelf Increase Healthy Donations

FOX44
Posted: Dec 11, 2009

You would expect a group of UVM medical students to chose the healthier items at the grocery store.

What you might not expect is why several students at City Market in Burlington Wednesday were thinking about good nutrition, and who they had in mind.

“When we go down there to drop the food off there’s always a line out the door,” said UVM student Isaac Noyes.

The students have created a simple yet effective program to benefit the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. They created tags to go in front of certain store items to encourage shoppers to chose healthier items to donate.

It’s no secret eating healthy is more expensive and a luxury many people who rely on the Food Shelf can’t afford.

“Their choices are more limited, they’re not always able to make healthier choices,” said Rachel Moss with the Chittenden County Emergency Food Shelf.

And that’s what this simple program is trying to change.

Students say they’re still analyzing data, but it appears they’re able to influence what people donate.

“We’ve also seen a general increase in donations from the supermarkets where the project is happening,” said Moss

Thanks to a group of forward thinking future physicians are getting as much out of this class project, as the public is putting into it.

“Medical students who understand public health will be better physicians,” said Dr. Jan Carney from UVM.

“We can see a physical difference you know, in the amount of food we’re bringing in and we can go out and meet the people getting the food on the other end,” said Noyes.