Callahan headshot

Emerson Fellow

Kate Callahan

18th Class, 2011-2012

Originally from Willimantic, Connecticut, Kate graduated in 2010 from Syracuse University where she studied nutrition and policy studies. She volunteered as a nutrition educator for the Food Bank of Central New York and a scholarship program while coordinating service opportunities for her fellow students in Syracuse.  She also interned at the Food Research and Action Center, where she advocated for improved public policies to alleviate hunger. Kate recently completed her year-long supervised practice in dietetics at Simmons College and is a registered dietitian.

Field placement: City Harvest

New York, New York

Kate coordinated an assessment to guide the expansion of Healthy Neighborhoods—an initiative that works to improve access to, demand for, and availability of affordable fresh produce in low-income neighborhoods—into a new neighborhood in Queens. She analyzed economic needs, health risks, and food landscapes in several Queens neighborhoods while assisting with food distribution and nutrition education in neighborhoods already participating in the program.

Policy placement: Migrant Legal Action Program

Washington, D.C.

Kate led a workgroup on how federal nutrition policies and regulations affect access to nutrition and education programs for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). She conducted a field survey to gather information from local education agencies about school meals access for LEP families. She used the results of the survey to write a promising practices report with recommendations to the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for improving language assistance for LEP families applying for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.

Hunger Free Community Report

A New Healthy Neighborhood: Building the Foundation for City Harvest Programming in Long Island City documents the research process used to identify Long Island City as City Harvest’s next Healthy Neighborhood and provides an overview of the economic need, food landscape, and health risks of the neighborhood.