Our October Volunteer of the Month recipients are a trio of students from the University of Manitoba’s Human Nutritional Sciences program.

Mariam, Michelle and Kelly all responded to a volunteer recruitment email from the Immigrant Centre’s Nutrition Manager. Every Saturday, these three incredible young women volunteer in the Centre’s Cooking Matters Program, teaching low-cost, healthy recipes, and the basics of healthy eating to newcomers.

The three admitted however, that they didn’t really know what to expect and were pleasantly surprised to find students from so many nationalities. “It’s been really nice” they agreed, “when we’re cooking, the students like to share their own traditions, how they do it. They all come from different backgrounds, so we talk a lot about cultures too.”

Mariam who is from Egypt, is currently in her fourth year. Michelle is a fourth year student from Hong Kong, and Kelly who is also from Hong Kong, completed her High School education in Calgary before moving to Winnipeg for university. All three plan to become Registered Dietitians once they graduate.