Food Internships Grace
Expanding access to healthy, locally grown food
Loyola University Chicago graduate student Grace Rockenhauer spent her summer working to help people who receive food aid access healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables at local farmers markets. She interned with a local nonprofit organization as part of the Partners in the Chicago Food System program, a collaborative effort to increase food security in Chicago communities. Faculty and staff in Loyola's School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) launched the program in partnership with local nonprofit organizations. The team received a Schreiber Innovation Grant to create paid internships with community groups working on food equity.
As a part of her internship, Grace Rockenhauer worked to make farmers markets more accessible to people receiving food assistance.
Rockenhauer is pursuing her master's degree in environmental science and sustainability in SES. She gained hands-on experience in the environmental field as an intern at Experimental Station, a nonprofit based in the Woodlawn neighborhood on Chicago's South Side.
Experimental Station works to expand access to healthy, locally grown food and provides other essential resources to help South Side communities thrive. The organization launched the 61st Street Farmers Market in 2008 and has been a leader in making farmers markets accessible and affordable for people who receive food assistance.
Rockenhauer spent the summer assisting with the Link Match program for Experimental Station's Link Up Illinois team. The Link Match program doubles the value of farmers market purchases for people using the Illinois Link Card to receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a program that allows low-income families and individuals to buy food they need for good health.
"[Our team] oversaw the funding, support, and distribution of materials for this program," said Rackenhauer. "We are directly impacting those on SNAP by allowing them to stretch the amount they can spend on fresh local produce."
In addition to expanding access to nutritious and healthy foods, the program benefits farmers and producers by attracting more market visitors and increasing sales.
During her time, Rockenhauer helped with onsite visits, wrote a best practices guide for farmers markets, and supported Link Up Illinois to help ensure the continuation and affordability of the Link Match program for SNAP users. She traveled to farmers markets throughout the city and asked local vendors to share input on improving the system for farmers and community members.
The internship expanded Rockenhauer's understanding of the need for programs like SNAP in cities like Chicago and shifted her view on "equity and the food system in Chicago, Illinois, and our country," she said.
"Interacting with people is the most impactful experience I had, and it taught me to be patient, understanding, and to listen, especially to those who may not often get the chance to share their voices."
SES offers many other internship opportunities throughout the year, both on and with partner organizations in the Chicago area. Learn more about SES internships here.
Rockenhauer is pursuing her master's degree in environmental science and sustainability in SES. She gained hands-on experience in the environmental field as an intern at Experimental Station, a nonprofit based in the Woodlawn neighborhood on Chicago's South Side.
Experimental Station works to expand access to healthy, locally grown food and provides other essential resources to help South Side communities thrive. The organization launched the 61st Street Farmers Market in 2008 and has been a leader in making farmers markets accessible and affordable for people who receive food assistance.
Rockenhauer spent the summer assisting with the Link Match program for Experimental Station's Link Up Illinois team. The Link Match program doubles the value of farmers market purchases for people using the Illinois Link Card to receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a program that allows low-income families and individuals to buy food they need for good health.
"[Our team] oversaw the funding, support, and distribution of materials for this program," said Rackenhauer. "We are directly impacting those on SNAP by allowing them to stretch the amount they can spend on fresh local produce."
In addition to expanding access to nutritious and healthy foods, the program benefits farmers and producers by attracting more market visitors and increasing sales.
During her time, Rockenhauer helped with onsite visits, wrote a best practices guide for farmers markets, and supported Link Up Illinois to help ensure the continuation and affordability of the Link Match program for SNAP users. She traveled to farmers markets throughout the city and asked local vendors to share input on improving the system for farmers and community members.
The internship expanded Rockenhauer's understanding of the need for programs like SNAP in cities like Chicago and shifted her view on "equity and the food system in Chicago, Illinois, and our country," she said.
"Interacting with people is the most impactful experience I had, and it taught me to be patient, understanding, and to listen, especially to those who may not often get the chance to share their voices."
SES offers many other internship opportunities throughout the year, both on and with partner organizations in the Chicago area. Learn more about SES internships here.