Group seeks community bond through food

From those looking to nutrition as a career to students simply interested in healthier eating, the IU Dietetics Club can benefit the mind, resume and stomach.\nFor dietetics and nutrition science majors especially, the club is an organization that helps students meet requisite experience for their major and find internships that can lead to graduate school or even a career. \nThe Dietetics Club provides students interested in the dietetics and nutrition science fields with opportunities to maximize their experience and knowledge in these areas. \nStudents can also gain experience through volunteer work on campus and in the Bloomington community. \nOne of the ultimate goals of the club is to combine community service and volunteer work while gaining a better understanding of nutrition and wellness, said Club President Mindy Sieve.\nAlthough the organization is open to all students, dietetics and nutrition science majors are at an advantage, as the club provides mostly major-influenced volunteer opportunities. Sophomore dietetics student Jamie McFerran hopes to benefit from such opportunities. \n"I personally hope to gain experience through volunteer work," she said.\nInvolvement in the Dietetics Club also helps to supplement resumes for jobs and internships for the students majoring in these specific fields. \nAlthough many students are unaware of the club's existence, the Dietetics Club is active both on and off campus. Since the start of the organization in 1988, the club's activities have included volunteering to deliver meals for elderly citizens in the community, volunteering for the Adult Fitness Program and giving nutrition lessons to classes at Arlington Heights Elementary School and the Monroe County Health Department.\nKim Pearson, the health fair coordinator of the club, said the most rewarding part of the club was when members went to the Monroe County Health Department and gave presentations on healthy eating and lifestyles. \n"(The people there) saw us as educated people on the topics and they were really enthusiastic about us being there," Pearson said. "I think we were able to teach them a few things about healthy eating and lifestyle changes and that's what the club is all about. If we can help out just one person, we have been successful as a club."\nEach year the Dietetics Club participates in November's Health Fair, put on by the IU Health Center. For their part of the fair, members expanded on a theme relating to diet and healthy eating. Some of the club's past themes have focused on portion sizes, fiber sources, the importance of variety in a healthy diet and calcium sources. \nAt the club's last meeting, Sieve shared some of the activities the club has planned for this semester. \n"We're involved with Hoosier Hills, which is a food bank," Sieve said. "The local restaurants send the food bank their extra or leftover food and we help to wrap up and package it so that it can be taken to the soup kitchens." \nNext semester, the members plan to go to the YMCA as part of the "Go Girl Go" program to help girls ages 13 to 18, identify healthy lifestyle choices. \n"These are all wonderful volunteer opportunities that can help you," Sieve said. "The club, as a whole, opens your eyes to new experiences and gives you a new passion for what you're doing, now, and in your future career."\nFor more information on the IU Dietetics Club, visit www.indiana.edu/~dietetic or contact Mindy Sieve at msieve@indiana.edu.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Sonia Rana at srana@indiana.edu.