Madilyn improved the consumption of fruits and vegetables in adults at the Central Alabama Community Foodbank’s Corner Market by creating wrap-around services and individualized goal monitoring. Tomaso developed a curriculum to help instruct participants at the market on nutrition, physical activity, food waste, and other health-related topics. This curriculum was introduced so that participants could make informed decisions while they shopped at the market. A sample of the participants were selected for individualized goal monitoring, including monthly motivational calls and incentives. Through her encouragement, participants established a community walking group. Madilyn also worked with the Foodbank’s Summer Meal Program sites. She developed a curriculum titled “Summer Food, Summer Moves” which focused on choosing healthy snacks, increasing water consumption vs sugary drinks, increasing physical activity and reducing screen time. At the site Ms. Tomaso met regularly with children ages 5 to 15. Students were placed in developmentally appropriate groups for instruction on a variety of topics, such as playing outdoor games, drinking more water, and eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, and community gardening.

As a result of her efforts:

• 7 out of 7 participants at the Corner Market who were followed for monthly goal monitoring had an improvement in at least one of the following: increased fruit and vegetable consumption by one or more servings per day, increased physical activity to at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity, increased self-reported meal planning and meal preparation, and/or report zero avoidable losses of products purchased at the market.
• Established a community walking group with 13 committed participants.
• 9 of the 17 students in the Summer Meals Program accomplished at least 2 of the 4 behavior changes: increase consumption of fruits and vegetables by one or more servings per day, replace sugary drinks with water, increase physical activity to the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day, and/or reduce screen time by 1 or more hours per day.

The “Summer Food, Summer Moves” program will be sustained by the local summer meal program site for future summer activities as well as the Central Alabama Community Food Bank. The Corner Market wraparound services will be sustained by the Central Alabama Community Food Bank and will serve as a template for future services.

“As a future physician it is my duty to learn the art of medicine, which is the balance between science and human compassion. The Schweitzer fellowship has provided me the opportunity to develop this skill as I served my community and as Dr. Schweitzer said, ‘The purpose of human life is to serve.’”