Meals On Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County
5740 Airport Freeway, Fort Worth, TX 76117
817-336-0912
mealsonwheels.org
Contact Person:
Denise Blevins, MS, RDN, LD, Vice President of Nutrition and Health Programs; email:Â dblevins@mealsonwheels.org
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About the Organization
Meals On Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit charitable organization that has operated independently in Tarrant County since 1973.  We provide hot, nourishing meals to elderly and disabled people who are unable to prepare meals for themselves. The meals, daily contact by caring volunteers, and professional case management allow frail, homebound people to remain in their own homes … where they want to be. More information about the organization can be found at mealsonwheels.org
About the Internship
For the twelfth year, Meals On Wheels is offering a summer work internship for Dietetic/Nutrition students, graduates, or graduate students. Last year Meals On Wheels received numerous applications from students on campuses all over the country, and quite a few international students, with Meals On Wheels accepting ten applicants.
Selected applicants will work closely with five registered/licensed dietitians in the area of community dietetics, geriatric nutrition, and food service. The applicants may gain experience in one or all of the following areas of dietetics, nutrition, and business management: menu development; research design and reporting; client counseling; food service management; development of written nutrition education publications; client satisfaction survey design and reporting; food time and temperature studies; report writing; geriatric nutrition practices; in-home nutritional assessments; nutrition education presentation; and personal portfolio development. This opportunity has been very beneficial to past summer interns by giving them the much-needed experience required/requested by most internship, coordinated, or graduate school programs.
This summer internship period will be June 3-August 9, 2019. We require a commitment of 40 hours per week for 10 weeks, with a maximum allowance of 5 days of absence. This amounts to a minimum of 360 hours in total within Meals On Wheels regular operating hours of 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM on Friday. Interns will be expected to devote 5 to 10 hours each week outside of normal business hours as well. As a result, most interns leave with 400 to 500 hours of nutrition work experience gained. We will have a mandatory orientation day on Monday, June 4th.
This is a non-paid position. The applicant will need to secure their own travel to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and make their own housing arrangements within the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. If assistance is needed in finding housing, we will be able to provide leads. Applicants must also have their own reliable transportation and a laptop computer. Interns will also be responsible to pay for one lunch out each week at restaurants of various cuisines (average cost is $10-$12 per meal). Meals On Wheels lunches will be available for purchase Monday-Friday for $3. Interns may also bring their own lunch. Travel to off-site activities may be expected one to four days each week. Any mileage or out-of-pocket expenses related to performing specific agency duties will be reimbursed.
How to Apply
If interested in this position, please respond by Friday, April 19, 2019, via email to Denise Blevins at dblevins@mealsonwheels.org with the following materials:
- Current resume
- Two letters of recommendation sent directly from the letter writer to Denise; at least one needs to be from a professor
- Essay on why you would like to work at Meals On Wheels and what talents you can bring to the organization. At the end of your essay, please include: the dates and hours of your summer work availability, a statement of your planned living arrangements, and whether you have access to transportation and a laptop computer.  Also include any questions or concerns about the internship that we can address in your interviews
Please send all documents as word document(s) or pdf files via email with a subject title of MEALS ON WHEELS INTERN APPLICANT 2019. Phone interviews may be scheduled prior to the announcement date to select finalists. Applicants will be selected for the summer positions by Friday, April 26, 2019.
Applicant selection will be based upon:
- Following directions as outlined on this document
- Quality of the application documents
- Strength of the recommendation letters and letter writer’s knowledge of the applicant
- Initiative and research about Meals On Wheels and their programs
- Enthusiasm shown and responses given on the phone/in-person interviews
- Applicant availability and length of the summer commitment
 Previous Meals On Wheels interns have represented the following universities:
- Abilene Christian University
- Baylor University
- Boston University
- Brigham Young University
- Framingham State University
- Illinois State University
- Iowa State University
- Kansas State University
- Lamar University
- Loma Linda University
- Louisiana State University
- New Mexico State University
- Nicholls State University-Louisiana
- Oklahoma State University
- Oregon State University
- Prairie View A&M University
- Purdue University
- Rutgers University
- Saint Louis University
- Stephen F. Austin State University
- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
- Texas A&M University
- Texas Christian University
- Texas State University
- Texas Tech University
- Texas Woman’s University
- University of Alabama
- University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
- University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- University of Central Arkansas
- University of Central Michigan
- University of Dayton
- University of the Incarnate Word
- University of Louisiana-Lafayette
- University of Kentucky
- University of Missouri
- University of North Texas Health Science Center
- University of Oklahoma
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Texas, Pan-American
- University of Texas, Southwestern Campus
- University of Wisconsin, Stout
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Virginia Tech University
- Western Kentucky University
Previous Meals On Wheels interns have represented the following countries:
- Brazil
- Ghana
- Canada
- Portugal
- Hong Kong
- China
- Honduras
- Malaysia
We look forward to reviewing your application, and please don’t hesitate to contact Denise Blevins with any questions or concerns.
Thank you!