Farm to Senior Services – Food Systems Internships
The 2022 Farm to Senior Services – Food Systems interns were:
 |
Charlie Robinette interned at Foothills Food Hub in McDowell County, acting as a liaison between the food hub, McDowell County Senior Center, and local farmers. Charlie supported the initial deliveries of local food from the food hub to the senior center, and communicated regularly with the senior center to plan upcoming orders. In addition to supporting Farm to Senior Services, Charlie also managed the Farmer of the Foothills community supported agriculture program. After the internship, Charlie is pursuing a career in England. |
 |
Benjamin Meyers was based at the Sandhills AGInnovation Center (SAIC). Benjamin took part in hands-on packing of local produce at SAIC, including food distributed to seniors in Scotland County and neighboring counties. In addition, Benjamin led nutrition education courses for seniors in the Sandhills and connected with them through conversation and storytelling. Benjamin also supported Farm to Senior Services by researching farm to institution initiatives to increase CEFS’ knowledge base of programs across the country. After the internship, Benjamin is finishing his degree in nutrition at North Carolina Central University. |
The 2021 Farm to Senior Services – Food Systems interns were:
 |
Alice Lu was based at the Sandhills AGInnovation Center in Scotland County. Alice focused on promotion and marketing for the SandhillsAGInnovation Center, including a revamp of their website. Alice also supported their social media plans, created and promoted online farmer profiles, and helped pack CSA-style boxes that were distributed to local community members. After the internship, Alice is working on completing a Master of Public Health degree at UNC Chapel Hill. |
 |
Enoch Sarku was hosted by Working Landscapes, a nonprofit rural development organization based in Warren County. Enoch developed an effective cash flow analysis to help reduce costs while scaling production, a tool to help analyze new recipe additions, and a labor cost distribution chart. In Enoch’s words, “my experience was priceless, adding costing to my skills.” Post internship, Enoch is continuing to work towards a Ph.D. in computational science and engineering at N.C. A&T. |
 |
Tim Burke interned at Foothills Food Hub in McDowell County after graduating from N.C. A&T with a master’s degree in agricultural education. Tim supported relationship building between the Foothills Food Hub, NC Farmers of the Foothills, and the McDowell Senior Center. He helped plan, pack, and coordinate logistics for CSA-style boxes distributed to community members and supported data collection on senior food service requirements and procurement to identify potential local food products. Currently, Tim is volunteering at the food hub, working on farm infrastructure projects on his family farm, and managing the Airbnb located onsite. |