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Senior Solutions Has New Nutrition, Wellness Director Catherine Wisniewski is the new nutrition and wellness director for Senior Solutions in Springfield, Vt. By Kelly Burch Valley News Correspondent Sunday, June 25, 2017 Print Springfield, Vt. — Catherine Wisniewski spent the past two years living in South Africa fighting HIV/AIDs, but she feels that her new role as nutrition and wellness director for Senior Solutions, a Springfield, Vt.-based nonprofit, will be just as challenging and rewarding as her Peace Corps experience. “This job, working with a population that I haven’t worked with before, has so many similarities to the Peace Corps,” Wisniewski said. Wisniewski, 26, returned from the Peace Corps in March and started her position with Senior Solutions in May, bringing global experience and a fresh perspective to the organization. “She brings an enormous amount of energy and vision to our organization,” said Carol Stamatakis, executive director of Senior Solutions. “She’s already looking at creative new ways of supporting older adults.” As the nutrition and wellness director, Wisniewski is responsible for helping coordinate vendors that provide meals and transportation to seniors in Vermont. That’s no small feat, considering that last year Senior Solutions served 225,000 meals in its 46-town service area. “My biggest priority is nutrition and providing meals for people,” said Wisniewski, who coordinates programs like Meals on Wheels. “I also help get people in rural areas to places they need to go through our partnerships and contracts.” Wisniewski say providing healthy, nutritious food to low-income seniors is the most important aspect of her job, but really just the beginning. “It’s good for them to have something warm and healthy to eat,” she said. “Then equally important is the socialization. If you’re working or volunteering you can get very lonely.” Wisniewski’s passion for nutrition was sparked early on. She was an overweight child, and as a young teen her parents sent her to see a registered dietician. “To me it was so exciting that you could talk to someone and they told you what to eat and you could be healthy and cure disease,” she said. “Everyone eats. Food is part of everyone’s life.” She received a bachelor’s degree at West Chester University in her home state of Pennsylvania before pursing a master’s degree in public health at the same school. She hopes to use both areas of her education to provide comprehensive services to keep seniors healthy. “I’m interested in integrating everything together,” she said. After graduation from school, Wisniewski joined the Peace Corps, serving two years in South Africa. When it was time to return to the United States she was drawn to New England, and clicked with the staff at Senior Solutions immediately. She moved from Pennsylvania to Walpole, N.H., and is now enjoying getting to know her new home. “I travel a lot for my job, since I’m the director for Windham County and most of Windsor County. That’s a blessing because I get to find out what’s around here and see different areas,” Wisniewski said. She’s been struck by the area’s natural beauty and by how kind everyone is. “Everyone I’ve met is really friendly and accommodating,” she said. As she settles into her job, Wisniewski is focused on making sure that Vermont seniors have access to nutrition and wellness programs that helps them live healthy, fulfilling lives. This can be challenging in such a rural area, but Wisniewski feels ready. “I don’t like being bored,” she said. “I look for things that are going to teach me something new.” Already she is learning lots from her colleagues and the people they serve. “I’ve only been five weeks and I’m really liking it,” Wisniewski said, “so that’s a good start.”
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