A second go around for a food pantry/fresh food market! Much like my last post, my classmates and I recently spent a lovely few hours working with the kind folks over at the Mid-Ohio Market at Norton Road in the west side of the Columbus area. This time, we had the added bonus of having our friends from Norway accompanying us to supply the many folks seeking fresh foods for their families, as well as providing free-of-charge screening for some key health indicators in blood pressures and blood sugar readings.

A much larger, higher-scale market compared to our previous experience, the Mid-Ohio Market provided a vastly different experience, coinciding with the differences amongst different food banks that I alluded to in my last post. Mid-Ohio opts for a sprawling, warehouse style set up, more reminiscent of a traditional grocery store. After being funneled toward registration at the inlet, patrons are allowed to enter the main body of the store, shopping at their pace and flow. However, the familiar item limits were still present, ensuring that as many people as possible have their chance at the fresh foods of their choosing.

I did not watch over the corn this time, some volunteers from Ohio Health had that honor, and instead participated at our station for measuring blood pressures and blood sugars. Not every patron took us up on our offers, but we had a reasonable number of folks coming through looking to see how their numbers were looking. Some were diabetics using this as one of their daily blood sugar checks, others were folks who were just a little curious. Regardless of their reasoning to visit us, my peers and I had a lot of fun providing the measurements, some education, and even cracking our fair share of jokes with all the kind people who did. 

The slower pace of the institution certainly was a change from the All People’s Fresh Market that we had helped at previously, but this was not necessarily a negative. We were able to spend more time with each patron who came through, answering questions, conversing, and catching a glimpse of the wide range of personalities and life experiences that they each have to share with us. I truly enjoyed myself working alongside my Norwegian friends in contributing to the health of this community in what ways we could that day.

Sustainable Goal 2.2 states, “By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons”. Much like my previous post, I believe that food banks like the Mid-Ohio Market are shining examples of the ideals set forward in these nutrition/hunger bases sustainable goals. One further difference I noted between our previous experience at a food bank was the more pronounced amount of patrons that were younger, and with families with them. The number of children accompanying on the day really drove home to me how important these markets can be to aiding in feeding hungry, growing mouths. Ensuring that these families have access to healthy foods is huge in allowing these children may grow and develop into healthy adults in the future.

Unlike my experience previously with a school nurse, food pantries are something I am extremely familiar with and had some level of expectations for. I spent many days of my high school and undergraduate life volunteering at various food banks around Cincinnati and Columbus. While the individual institutions may vary, there are similarities to be found everywhere you look.

The lovely All People’s Fresh Market on Parson’s Avenue that we were fortunate enough to spend our day with is a perfect example of the great memories I have working with food pantries and markets in the past. An abundance of fresh fruits, veggies, and bread (all the staple items one can ask for, really) supplied generously from community members and companies were there to meet the abundance of patrons that showed up that day! Arranged in horse-shoe shaped track around the cozy storefront, the entire process that those who came to partake in the supplies of the day was shockingly efficient compared to those I’ve seen in the past. An almost conveyor-belt like approach to registration and shopping kept folks shuffling through, gathering their things, and moving on to allow the next participant in ensured a smooth and timely flow to the day that I was thoroughly impressed by.

My classmates and I all took up different roles for our shift, with some engaging more on the familiar healthcare side, taking blood pressures and providing education, while others (including myself) were enlisted to aid in the flow of the market itself. As the keep of the corn and coolers, I simply watched over these areas to ensure that patrons took only as many of each item as the limits allowed, as well as simply providing a friendly face to chat with them and offer my assistance as needed. So although I may not have taken up traditionally “nursing” duties, I felt entirely fulfilled for the day in helping provide healthy eating options and positivity when many of these folks may not have found otherwise. The day truly flew by with the large amount of clientele funneling through the store that day, and I had a tired (but satisfied) peace at the end of it all. I am grateful for the opportunity that the All People’s Fresh Market provided me in participating in the day’s festivities!

Sustainable Goal 2.1 states, “By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round”. I would venture to say that there is no more pure example of progress toward this goal than the availability of fresh food provided by institutions like the All People’s Fresh Market. Providing daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables to those who may not otherwise have access to these items has an immense impact on the proper nutrition of communities across the country, especially those in food deserts and/or impacted by lower average incomes/high rates of poverty.

“If you would have told me 20 years ago that I would EVER be a school nurse, I never would have believed you. But I absolutely love it.” – Nurse Tamara

For many people, especially in the nursing profession, the role of school nurse may not always appear to be the most glamorous. Most will envision the sweat-breaking, chest-compressing ED nurse, or the ever-present, ever-vigilant inpatient bedside nurses depicted in media. But I believe it goes without saying that those two images, while important, only just scratch the surface of the wide-ranging roles and impacts the nursing profession can take shape in throughout every stage and facet of our lives.

I had no idea what to expect, coming into this week. I was lucky enough not to see my own school nurse throughout my grade school years, and had never worked with one past that time. But the joyful and welcoming nature of Nurse Tamara and the lovely staff at the Madison Plains schools instantly settled me in and had me looking forward to the two day stay I would be having with them.

Starting out at the high school, we went through a blast-from-the-past for me with a round of morning announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance. Before long, the kids began trickling through for a range of ailments. Some with itching rashes, others with a pounding headache, common school-age bothers. Things did get a bit more interesting when we got the call that a student had collapsed in the band room. After gathering some supplies, and a brisk walk-jog, we were getting a senior girl assessed. She was alright, just a bit shaken up and confused, but thankfully she was able to go home and get some rest.

As the morning normalized and the students settled into their routine, we packed up and head over to the elementary school for the remainder of the day; as Nurse Tamara covers both schools (being the only nurse for the school district, deployed by the health department). The same nostalgia of walking into a high school earlier hit me with a second wave upon entering the drawing-adorned, “Star of the Week”-presenting halls of the Madison Plains Elementary. To the unmistakable music of childhood screaming and line-leaders directing their classmates, we shuffled our way into the nurse’s office where we would spend the bulk of our day.

The clinic time at the elementary certainly proved to be my favorite part. A steady procession of headaches and tummy aches would be occasionally interrupted with a more unique ailment, like dislodged ear tubes or a head lice check, as well as the occasional medication (which the kids all took down like champs). We topped it all off with a serenade of xylophones playing “Baby Shark” and recorders squeaking “Hot Cross Buns”.

Sustainable Development Goal 4.2 states, “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care, and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education”. In my experience here, the role of the school nurse takes this goal and extends it through that initial endpoint of primary school. Caring for students from pre-k all the way through high school, the school nurse plays an integral role in providing care to ensure a safe, prosperous environment for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status or health status, to thrive.

The energy of the children, the kindness of Nurse Tamara and the staff, and the almost serene nature of the care we were providing made for a really enjoyable experience for me. It was great seeing, from an adult and involved perspective, what the day-to-day looks like for a nurse in this field. The balance of providing care to the best of your ability, providing complete documentation for each and every patient that finds their way through the clinic, and providing a kind, empathetic presence for any and all that need it is a balance that all nurses must find. And in the case of a school nurse, that balance takes on a very fun (yet still incredibly important) dynamic. School nursing may be underrepresented in what many people picture for the nursing profession, but the variety of what each day brings as well as the continuity of care that couples with watching these kids grow year on year is certainly something that make this undoubtedly important role, undoubtedly worth it.