Purdue Nutrition Science students create community connections through Food Finders internship

Reprinted with permission from Food Finders Food Bank.

Brooke Beighau (left) and Alyssa Redding (right)

This spring semester, Food Finders Food Bank welcomed two Purdue University students as interns: Alyssa Redding, an undergraduate majoring in nutrition, fitness, and health, and Brooke Beighau, an undergraduate in nutrition and dietetics. While Redding’s focus leans toward athletics and kinesiology with aspirations to own her own fitness center, Beighau is on the path to becoming a registered dietitian.  

When asked why they chose to intern at Food Finders, Redding explained that the choice was personal.

“I’m from the Lafayette area. While I grew up here, I wanted to dive deeper into the community,” she stated.

For Beighau, who is from Connecticut but is currently living in West Lafayette, she saw Food Finders as a chance to connect with a new community.

“Part of the reason Food Finders was attractive was so I could get to know the community. As someone who wants to become a registered dietitian, seeing the community side and how important nutrition and education is to the community is valuable,” she explained.   

Currently, the interns lead weekly cooking classes every Wednesday at the Katy Bunder Food Resource and Education Center, where they select dishes based on ingredients available at the Fresh Market food pantry. In each class, Redding and Beighau guide participants through recipes, cooking techniques, and nutrition information in hands-on sessions.

After each class, neighbors can take home leftovers along with handouts featuring recipes and nutritional details. On Tuesdays, they can be found at the Fresh Market distributing samples and recipes that incorporate ingredients available in the food pantry. 

With their internship continuing until April, the students have already completed several projects and are helping Food Finders prepare activities for the summer kids cooking classes. They also look forward to participating in a mobile pantry once the weather improves. 

Reflecting on their time so far, Redding and Beighau emphasized that learning goes both ways, with neighbors bringing significant wisdom to the classes. They also noted that Food Finders has emphasized the importance of accessible nutritious food, recognizing that nutrition education is ineffective when people lack access to food. Through their internship, these students are not only applying their classroom knowledge but also gaining real-world understanding of nutrition’s role in community well-being.