Dietetics Program Partners With Paragould Church for Service Event
JONESBORO — Students with the dietetics program at Arkansas State University will join forces with the First United Methodist Church in Paragould to present a community service event, Saturday, Oct. 23. Festivities are from 11 a.m. – noon, at the church located at 404 West Main Street in Paragould.
Six students in the program will conduct a cooking demonstration for diabetes and heart healthy meals. They are Madison Grimm, a senior from Knoxville, Tenn.; Vannessa Rivera, a senior from Harrisburg; Macie Borgfield, a senior/post graduate from Jackson, Mo.; Savannah Fikes, a senior from Maumelle; Kristen Creighton, a junior from Jonesboro; and Joseph Holland, a junior from Tillar.
“We were contacted by Rev. Chase Burns, the assistant pastor at the First United Methodist Church, and invited to participate in this occasion,” said Eric West, assistant professor of dietetics. “He indicated that the church would be interested in having this event twice a year. The students would provide the demonstrations.”
The coordinated program in dietetics, the only one in the state, offers a variety of subjects ranging from food and nutrition, food service systems management, psychology, sociology and communication, to science courses such as anatomy and physiology, chemistry and biology.
A part of the College of Nursing and Health Professions, dietetics students complete a minimum of 1,200 supervised practice hours providing experiences in food service, community and clinical settings. The program has a clinical focus, with an emphasis on medical nutrition therapy.
