MILWAUKEE — Working toward a healthier Milwaukee, Danielle Nabak isn't your average dietitian.
"A day in the life of my job is working with local organizations and local government to think about neighborhood food environments. So that could be with food pantries, meal programs, school lunches," says Danielle Nabak, registered dietician and Milwaukee native.
With her passion focused on prevention through access, one of Nabak's more public impacts is the Fresh Food Access Fund.
"There are a lot of different neighborhoods across the city that have different food resources," says Nabak. "Organizations, businesses, and non-profits can apply for [the fund] by summiting their idea, whatever their idea is, to increase access to healthy food throughout the city and then the city has a grant fund that will help support those projects."
With the grant entering its third year, the hope is to promote well-being and increase community ownership.
"There's a great example in Sherman Park. Sherman Park Grocery just opened last year. They are doing a great job of stocking their grocery store with foods that residents want," says Nabak.
Using her eyes and ears to figure out what a community needs, she also uses her feet to run across all parts of Milwaukee.
"I think that gives people an understanding of their city and neighborhoods that they maybe don't live, work or play in," says Nabak.
As a member of 'Forget Everything and Run' or F.E.A.R., Nabak knows more than one way running moves people forward.
"I think what makes FEAR special is that we're intentional about doing things outside of running. So yes, we show up to run twice a week. But we also volunteer together, and we are doing things in the off running-season together," says Nabak.
It's for that very reason, Nabak is the second woman in F.E.A.R. who has caught the eye of ASICS.
"The support from ASICS is incredible. I talk so much about making relationships. One of my core values is showing up for people. I feel like ASICS embodies that so much. They're here for who F.E.A.R. is, and running is important to them, but more importantly, they invest in F.E.A.R., they invest in Milwaukee, they are invested in our community that we are building through running," says Nabak.
An ambassador for this year's campaign, 'Sound Mind, Sound Body', ASICS continues to help shine a positive light on Milwaukee.
"I feel like this is putting Milwaukee on the map for something great, which oftentimes, is not the way people have heard about Milwaukee. It's about things that are not so great. So I'm so excited to be working with ASICS because I feel like it's highlighting some of the best things about Milwaukee. Which is the people and the community that we can build here," says Nabak.
A community that knows making a change doesn't always involve running, but it does involve stepping into other people's shoes.
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