Nutrition Education Staff

Carolyn Negley, RD - Nutrition Education Manager

Carolyn joined Second Harvest in March 2022 as a Nutrition Education Manager. Her passion for cooking began at a young age helping her Nana in the kitchen. Her earliest and happiest memories revolve around messy kitchens and family dinners – both chocked full of love and laughter. Her mantra is “Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.”

Her passion for nutrition, however, began much later in life.  When faced with debilitating disease, she discovered the profound impact that nutrition had on her symptoms, mood, and energy levels. When you make a discovery like that, you can’t help but want to tell the whole world!

She decided to go back to school to become a Registered Dietitian and help others learn about the power of eating for health.  In The Kitchen, she hopes to a create a fun and safe community where everyone feels welcome and ready to learn something new. One of the best feelings in the world is sharing a healthy dish – like black bean brownies – that wows people! An even better feeling is helping people build confidence to try the recipe again with their families and friends. We are, each of us, stronger together than we are apart and only through community can we become our best selves. And, if her Nana taught her right, there’s no better way to build community than in The Kitchen.

When she isn’t behind a stove at work or at home, Carolyn is probably floating the Spokane River or playing Scrabble.       

Carolyn holds a BA in English with Creative Writing emphasis from Presbyterian College, a BS in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Washington State University, and a MS in Coordinated Program of Dietetics, Nutrition, and Exercise Physiology from Washington State University. She is a Registered Dietitian and an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist.

Emily Menshew - Nutrition Education Associate

Despite growing up in a household where Mom’s home-cooked meals were a daily highlight, when it came time to plan and cook meals for herself, the process seemed exceptionally intimidating. After spending time in The Kitchen at Second Harvest through Community Cooking Classes and Kids Cooking Camps, she began to better understand her body’s nutritional needs and feel more confident in cooking at home. 

 

Emily started as a Programs and Nutrition Education intern with Second Harvest in June of 2022, after being initially introduced to Second Harvest through a sustainability internship in college where she learned about our grocery rescue program. In December of 2022 she transitioned into a AmeriCorp role at Second Harvest, traveling with the Mobile Market to provide nutrition education to some of the farthest communities within our service area. After completing her AmeriCorp term in August of 2023, she transitioned into a new role again, this time as a Nutrition Education Associate. 

 

Emily is incredibly passionate about the environment and has been excited to bring that passion into her work at Second Harvest through educating clients about food waste; cutting back on personal food waste is not only good for the environment, it’s also good for people's health and wallets. Through education about shopping seasonally, proper food storage and preservation techniques, recycling, and composting, Emily hopes to help clients ensure that the majority of the nutrients in their food ends up in their bodies rather than the landfill. 

 

Emily holds a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Political Science from Gonzaga University (‘22).

 

Sophia Orsinelli - JVC Northwest AmeriCorps, Nutrition Educator
 


Sophia joined Second Harvest in August 2023 as a Nutrition Educator, where she teaches weekly Community Cooking Classes in The Kitchen.She grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and recently relocated to Spokane to complete a service year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest.
 

Sophia’s passion for addressing food security was strengthened by her previous work in a community garden, where her love of simple, nutritious, and plant-based food grew. In her role at Second Harvest, she values relationship building and supporting clients in being more creative and confident in the kitchen. Sophia has followed a vegetarian diet for close to ten years and is passionate about teaching plant-based recipes in The Kitchen. She hopes to help clients discover plant-based recipes that are delicious, protein-filled, low cost, and both nutritionally and environmentally mindful.


Sophia holds a B.S. in Neuroscience & Behavior and a Supplemental Major in Italian Studies from the University of Notre Dame (’23).