Cooking Up Healthier Communities

A Recipe for Service

When April White ’23 and Ben Meyer ’22 began volunteering at Root Cause, a student-run health initiative serving Greenville’s underserved neighborhoods, they quickly realized that access to healthy food wasn’t the only challenge many families faced. Sometimes the biggest barrier came after the fresh produce was handed out.

“What do I do with this?”

Ben Meyer ’22 and April White ’23 are both third-year medical students who have put together a healthy-eating cookbook for Root Cause. The book is given away to those who want it at Greenville health fairs throughout the year. Submitted photo.

That simple question inspired two Furman University graduates – and now third-year medical students at the USC School of Medicine Greenville – to spend months creating a 126-page cookbook designed to make healthy cooking approachable, affordable and practical. Filled with recipes, nutrition education and photography they created with help from other med students and volunteers, the cookbook is distributed free at Root Cause health fairs alongside fresh fruits and vegetables. Proceeds from future sales will go directly back to supporting the program.

“We wanted to put together a resource that talked about nutrition in a fun and approachable way,” said Meyer. “Each recipe includes nutritional tips so that readers can come away not only with a tasty dish, but ideas about how to make everyday meals a little healthier.”

The project feels like a natural extension of the pair’s shared commitment to service, leadership and education. All values they cultivated during their time at Furman.

Different Paths, Shared Purpose

White arrived at Furman already planning for a future in healthcare but took an unconventional path, majoring in music while completing pre-med coursework. A French horn player, she immersed herself in marching band, orchestra, chamber ensembles and research while participating in Furman’s Medicine, Health and Culture program.

“It was very demanding, it was very difficult,” she said. “But it was super, super rewarding.”

Meyer followed a similarly ambitious path as a French and biology double-major, leading Furman’s campus health club and serving on Heller’s leadership team. Although the two never crossed paths as students, they became fast friends in medical school, bonding over cooking and a shared appreciation for a green KitchenAid mixer. Today, White describes Meyer as “truly my best friend in med school.”

Their complementary strengths fueled the cookbook’s success. White wrote educational content explaining topics like sodium, fats and cooking oils in everyday language, while Meyer led the cookbook’s graphic design and layout, creating a polished publication that has already drawn attention beyond Greenville.

“I love working with Ben,” White said. “Any opportunity to work with him, I’m here for it.”

“Lifestyle Medicine Cookbook”

More Than a Cookbook

Together, they also led Root Cause, which hosts monthly health fairs offering preventative screenings, health education, vaccinations and fresh produce in neighborhoods with limited access to healthcare. The work reinforced something both students believe deeply. That medicine starts long before a patient walks into a clinic.

“Many diseases faced by our community are lifestyle based, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease” said Meyer. “We want to reach out to these medically underserved communities and give people the tools to prevent these diseases in the first place.”

That philosophy also shaped the cookbook itself. Alongside dozens of healthy recipes, the book explains nutrition concepts in plain language while making healthy cooking feel less intimidating. It transforms fresh produce into practical meals and empowers families to make healthier choices long after the health fair ends.

The Furman Ingredient

That philosophy traces directly back to Furman.

White credits longtime band director Sue Samuels with teaching leadership, teamwork and communication, all skills she uses every day in the hospital. She also points to philosophy professor Carmela Eppright and sociology professor Kristy Maher, whose courses introduced her to the social determinants of health that Root Cause now works to address.

“I don’t think we would have had the capacity to do all of this unless we went to Furman,” White said. “Furman really emphasized showing up and going above and beyond to make a difference.”

Meyer truly embraced his liberal arts education, finding mentorship from Bill Allen, professor of French and Italian, and Stephanie Boyd, associate dean of student health and wellbeing. Each was encouraging and challenged him to branch out and explore interests that have served him well in medical school and other service projects.

Now, through a cookbook born from friendship, curiosity and compassion, two Furman graduates are helping Greenville families discover that healthier living can begin with something as simple as opening a cookbook and sharing a meal.