Lexi Cournoyer, MAND Foundation President: It’s Give To The Max MONTH for the MAND Foundation! Your donations support our scholarships and diversity and inclusion work. Why do members give to the MAND Foundation? The majority of donors say that they “want to give back to MAND” and they “want to support future generations of nutrition professionals.” If you donate as little as $10, you have a chance to win one of three prizes! More information is HERE.
Provide us with a brief description of your job: I am a Program Manager at Every Meal, a non-profit with a mission to fight child hunger through community and school partnerships. We aim to fill the gaps that children face when they do not have access to their school meals such as weekends, summer, and extended school break. Find out more HERE.
What do you love about what you do? While I ultimately wish no child or family experienced hunger and food insecurity, I do love that I can support such as great mission. It is very rewarding to know that all our hard work means a kiddo will have nutritious food to fill their belly over the weekend. Part of my role is to determine what foods we want to put in our bags, so I get to use my RDN knowledge to ensure our bags provide a variety of nutrients, cover all the foods groups, and provide culturally relevant items.
What are the challenges? Supply chain issues and inflation! As everyone knows, food costs are at an all-time high which effects our ability to purchase the food items we need. This has posed lots of challenges! I work alongside our Procurement Manager and chat with our vendors to see where we can find food that tastes good, is at an appropriate cost, and fits our nutrition criteria.
How has your MAND membership benefited you? Being a MAND member, and specifically a board member for the past 5 years, has provide me with lots of benefits such as improving my leadership and problem-solving skills. I have been able to expand my knowledge on various topics by attending free educational events and the MAND Annual Conference. Through networking events and getting to know my fellow board members, I have been able to make so many new connections and can truly say I have made some livelong friends (I know, cheesy but true 🙂 During my last year on the MAND board, I am excited to promote our MAND Foundation! The MAND foundation helps provide scholarship for future RDNs and DTRs and our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging work.
What do you think is the future of nutrition and dietetics? Policy, Policy, Policy! It is so important for nutrition professionals to advocate and talk with their legislators for policies that affect our profession and the client we serve! I am excited to see more and more students and RDNs excited to engage in this space!
What are your favorite activities/hobbies? Biking, hiking, golfing, cooking, and supporting the local breweries!
What is your favorite restaurant in Minnesota? Lemon Grass a Thai and Sushi restaurant in Brooklyn Park
Please share your Instagram handle (and any other social media handles that you would like us to share): @everymealorg
About MAND
Minnesota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (MAND) is an affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. We are the largest professional organization of nutrition health professionals in Minnesota, dedicated to optimizing Minnesotans' health through food and nutrition.