Sara Stalter

About seven years ago, I was hired by Goshen Health to be their Food and Nutrition Director. As soon as I started, I was allowed to take on leadership in the community garden project. Very rarely do you find a company that says, ‘I need you to be innovative –– that’s what your charge is.’ I’ve stayed with Goshen Health for this long because it allows me to go outside my boundaries. Everybody has a responsibility to participate in the growth and the success of the organization. I’m so thankful to have a career that supports that lifestyle.

I want the Goshen Health Community Garden to be a place where people can come and enjoy themselves. We’ve plowed up an acre and we’ve planted half an acre. Each year, we’ve had the opportunity to donate food to the community. In the future, we want to create a walking path for the community. We want this community to know that this is for them; to say, ‘Please come and serve.’ But also, ‘Please come and take.’

I shop in the Goshen community. I eat locally. I go to the Goshen Farmers Market. I want to spread the message of healthy eating and living. Every day, every bite and every meal that you prepare blesses your body somehow. It really depends on what you’ve chosen to consume. I want to spread the message to the community that food is important. I am passionate about really making sure that the community, our patients, and our Colleagues understand that food nourishes and heals your body.

Goshen has done so much with its community. The Goshen community wants to be involved with each other. As a small community, we have big ideas and we’re really moving forward.