Italy has so much to offer for anyone with a major in the College of Human Sciences. There is the latest fashion, beautiful art, lavish hotels, and delicious food. However, aside from eating the endless pasta and pizza, we have had few field trips related to my nutrition major. So when I found out we had a whole day in Rome devoted to food, hunger, and healthy living, I was more than excited.
Our group began the day by visiting the Food and Agriculture Organization. The FAO is a non-profit organization whose mission is to insure that people have access to high-quality food to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. We had a short presentation and learned the shocking statistic that over 870 million people struggle with food insecurity. The visit illustrated that hunger is a problem but made me thankful that there are organizations such as FAO that are trying to find a solution.
Following our visit to FAO, we went to Eataly for a lunch break. The best way to describe Eataly is the “Disney World of Italian food.” Eataly offers quality products that are all from different areas of Italy. We were all in awe when we walked through the doors. There was fresh produce, meat, and gelato galore! We all divided and enjoyed our delicious lunches and even made a few purchases to take back to the states.
After lunch, we loaded the bus and headed to Caritas. Caritas is a homeless shelter in Rome that provides a hot dinner to over 500 people daily. As a way to give back to Rome and Italy, we volunteered to serve the meal for the night. Some of us wore hairnets and gloves and placed food on plates while others waited tables and talked as best we could with the people. We even had a few girls pass out towels and razors in the dormitory where some people stay.
For the past three months, we have been living the dream and adventuring all through Europe. We have everything we need, plus more, all at our fingertips. Serving at the shelter helped put things back into perspective and to not take even the littlest things for granted. The experience reminded me that life is not all about me and made me even more grateful for the amazing opportunity I have been given to study abroad this summer.

Caitlin, Kathryn, Leslie, Shelby, and Cinzia get ready to serve dinner at Caritas.