Senior Tackles Hunger in School, in Camden and on Capitol Hill
Prachi Shashidhar fuels her passion for food at Rutgers-New Brunswick and through an internship with the Congressional Hunger Center in Washington, D.C.
Whether in class, out in the field as an intern combating hunger, on the web as a blogger or in the kitchen experimenting with recipes, food is on the mind of Prachi Shashidhar.
Food is why Shashidhar left Mason, Ohio, to attend Rutgers University. Food also is why Shashidhar transferred to Rutgers-New Brunswick as a junior after spending two years attending the School of Business at Rutgers-Camden.
“I really wanted to be in the New Jersey-New York area mainly because of my interests relating to one of my biggest passions, which is food, along with living and learning in this area with the incredible community here,” said the 21-year-old, a senior who will graduate in May from the School of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor of arts degree in economics and a minor in culinary nutrition.
Shashidhar was drawn to Rutgers because of “how much I read about the university and the opportunities that it offers students and the education,” she said.
During her time at Rutgers-Camden, Shashidhar founded Cooking for Camden, a student-led nonprofit organization that works with members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Market Street, where meals are provided to guests who visit the church every Friday at 12:30 p.m. She developed the project while taking a “First-Year Forum” course taught by Lee Ann Westman, director of the Honors College at Rutgers-Camden.
“The course focused on creating service-based projects within our community, which inspired me to combine one of my biggest passions – food service – with meaningful local impact, as well concepts I learned in my business courses, such as diversifying our risks as it related to sustainably growing our newly found service organization and connecting the right resources to supplement its growth,” said Shashidhar, an Honors College student at Camden who added that Westman “believed in and helped nurture” the project.
Westman said Honors College students had been serving lunch every Friday at the church to people without housing or those with food insecurity who were receiving basic first aid care from nursing students.
“Ms. Shashidhar noticed that the lunches were not that healthy or hearty and asked if she could design menus and prepare food that was more nutritious and more filling,” said Westman, adding that Shashidhar recruited other students to develop menus, shopping lists and plan out a cooking schedule.
In two years, Cooking for Camden produced more than 300 meals, received support from a local ShopRite grocery store and partnered with the university's dining services “to continue feeding the community when we are not in session or when we're not able to go in and cook,” said Shashidhar, who described Camden as “one of the largest food deserts” in New Jersey.
While Shashidhar and other students experienced setbacks, they took them in stride “and pivoted when new opportunities materialized,” Westman said. “Clearly, she cares deeply about food and nutrition insecurity – and about making real and valuable contributions to these particular challenges in Camden.”
I chose to further my interests and education in economics at Rutgers–New Brunswick because it offers countless opportunities for academic and professional growth.
Prachi Shashidhar
Senior at Rutgers-New Brunswick
Shashidhar said Cooking for Camden continues in her absence, with Rutgers-Camden junior Don R. Frenzel III, a computer science major now leading the organization “to expand service reach and increase fresh and nutritious meal preparation.”
Since arriving at Rutgers-New Brunswick, Shashidhar has broadened her academic and professional focus, building on the work she began in Camden and connecting her interests in food, nutrition, economics and public policy. Immersed in new courses, research opportunities and campus networks, she began exploring hunger issues on a larger scale – momentum that led to a competitive internship.
“I chose to further my interests and education in economics at Rutgers–New Brunswick because it offers countless opportunities for academic and professional growth,” said Shashidhar, whose parents relocated to Franklin Park, N.J. “Throughout my time here, I’ve been able to deepen my knowledge by attending office hours with professors conducting research in areas that excite me, enrolling in a wide range of engaging economics courses, interning with the Rutgers Endowment Office and I’ve met some amazing economics students with varied interests.”
During the summer, Shashidhar spent 10 weeks as a Zero Hunger intern for the Congressional Hunger Center in Washington, D.C., where she was placed with Oxfam America, part of an international organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice.
“We are assigned specific organizations where we work with and conduct research and support various initiatives at a very high level,” said Shashidhar, adding she learned about the internship while working as a social media promotions assistant in the Office of Scholar Development and Fellowship Advising at Rutgers-Camden. “I was lucky enough to get accepted out of 800 students who applied.”
As part of the internship, Shashidhar said she visited Capitol Hill to advocate for “hunger issues that we face in the U.S. as well as globally.”
Shashidhar said the internship was one of the best experiences she has ever had.
“I would a thousand percent recommend this and share this with everyone who's interested in working with food policy,” she said. “Every part of it was amazing.
“I think after this summer and my internship experience, I've started to understand that there's so much that goes into access relating to resources and opportunities as it relates to opportunities like this internship – and would love to help anyone who wants to pursue this.”
During her time at Rutgers, Shashidhar works on her food blog, where she highlights chefs and restaurants in New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C., and London, and creates other content.
“I publish recipes,” she said. “I meet chefs. I talk to them, and they’re kind to allow me to shadow them at their restaurants. I just love being in the space of food in case you couldn't tell.”
