For our very first Faces of FNP profile, I will be introducing you to Pam W, winner of July’s FNP Facebook Engagement Challenge and FNP Program Assistant in Prince William County. Pam is loving her Facebook page because she is able to reach more people and it makes her feel like what she is doing matters.

Pam teaches adult clients about nutrition, physical activity, food safety and food budgeting in Prince William County. Prince William County covers Manassas, Manassas Park, Woodbridge, Triangle, Quantico, Dumfries, Lake Ridge and Dale City. (So if you live in these areas, be sure to like her on Facebook to keep up to date with her class schedule and events.)

Pam has been working with FNP for 8 years and is motivated by helping her clients make positive changes in their life, including losing weight, budgeting for food better or eating smarter. One of the most inspiring success stories she has had while working at FNP was helping a man achieve his dream of becoming a chef.

He first came into her program while living at a homeless shelter. After graduating from the program, he later came back to take Cooking Matters, where he shared with Pam his dream of becoming a chef. Well, about 6 months later, Pam bumped into him at the grocery store. He proudly told her about his new dream job: chef at a local church’s free cafe program (soup kitchen). There he cooks over 500 free meals a week for his community and uses what he learned from Pam and FNP to make these meals healthier. He invited her to come visit for dinner and see the difference he was making. Because of this job, he was able to finally afford housing for himself and move out of the shelter.

Fun Facts About Pam

• Her favorite healthy food is salad.
• Her favorite way to move more is by cleaning her house and gardening (which burns 330 calories an hour!).
• If she were a fruit or veggie, she would be watermelon, her favorite summer fruit.
• Her dream for the future is to move somewhere warm (she hates the cold!) and spend more time with her husband and grand kids. She also would like to have more free time to spend on her favorite hobbies- motorcycles and boats.

Pam and her bike

Let’s give a big thanks to Pam for all her hard work in helping her clients. If you are one of Pam’s clients, feel free to share a story of how she has touched your life in the comments.