Shannon McKenna, FMF Summer Intern
I am fortunate this summer to have a summer intern assisting me in my work with the Feed Me Fresh program. Shannon McKenna is a senior at the University of Vermont where she is studying Dietetics. Shannon has been an ice cream scooper working at the Mount Kisco Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop for 7 years.
Shannon and the summer campers
Ben & Jerry’s generously donated vanilla ice cream to us this past week and the children mixed in fresh mint and mini chocolate chips to make their own Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Shannon scooped it for the classes, there really is an art to it! She also gave the summer campers the inside scoop on how ice cream cakes are made at Ben & Jerry’s, they were mesmerized with the story!
Fresh mint, Ben & Jerry’s vanilla ice cream, mini chocolate chips
Shannon has been a huge ally in helping to raise funds for our Summer Smoothie project. She set up a donation box at the Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop, and her bosses have generously donated Free Cone Coupons as perks for our online fundraising (click here for the link to our online campaign). Shannon and her family donated 2 blenders with special ice crushing features bringing us closer to our goal of 8 blenders!
As a student who is studying healthy food, Shannon learned lots about all that goes into a comprehensive healthy food program. She saw firsthand the dedication and collaboration of teachers, kitchen staff and administration on a daily basis. Everyone at Mount Kisco Child Care Center strives to be on the same page working to ensure that the children experience healthy food on many levels: in the garden, through cooking and each day during lunch and snack.
Shannon is heading back to Vermont to get ready for her senior year of college, we’re all going to miss her. We need lots more people like Shannon graduating from University nutrition programs with a passion for teaching young children about good food so that more schools and child care centers implement programs like Feed Me Fresh.