Child and Family Charities teaches healthy life skills with SNAP-Ed programs

Since 1911, Charities for children and families (CFC) protects and strengthens families in need. Their main role is to support children, families and individuals in a changing community. One way to do this is to teach families the basics of healthy living by using a variety of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) programs designed to educate and inspire.

This work is made possible by SNAP-Ed grants from Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFR). MFF is a state executive agency of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for the educational component of SNAP. SNAP-Ed is a U.S. Department of Agriculture educational program that teaches those eligible for SNAP how to live healthier lives. MFF offers competitive grants for conducting SNAP-Ed programs throughout the state of Michigan.

CFC embeds SNAP-Ed curricula in several of its services. For example with hers Family Growth Center (FGC) they use the garden theme Grow it, try it, like it! SNAP-Ed nutritional education program to introduce preschoolers to fruits and vegetables through hands-on activities, planting activities, and fun parent-child activities.
Children in the community garden of the Family Growth Center.
“I enjoy working with SNAP-Ed programming because it puts people on the path to success in cultivating healthy lifestyles. Curriculum, “says Beth Corcoran, FGC preschool teacher and nutrition educator.” The sooner children are introduced to the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, the more likely they are to eat healthily throughout their lives. It becomes a lived lifestyle. It was also really cool to see the parents learn about gardening and healthy eating with their kids, and overcome any fears or unknowns that were holding them back. “

Corcoran shows the children how to plant seeds, tend the garden, and harvest the grown fruits and vegetables to share with meals.

“The preschoolers are amazing. They will ask, ‘Is that the cucumber I grew?’ “Says Corcoran’s colleague Kathy Kelly. Another benefit of our program is that some of the parents said they were inspired to plant their own plot in the community garden.”
Children in the community garden of the Family Growth Center.
Kelly has been with CFC in a variety of roles for 22 years. Today she is the director of CFC’s Child Abuse Prevention Services. She also serves as the director of the SNAP-Ed program and nutritional educator for the Food smarts Curriculum. Food Smarts is taught as part of CFC youth protection programs. The program covers a variety of topics such as portion sizes, balanced meals, kitchen safety and cooking skills.

One of their youth homes is Angel House, a therapeutic mother-and-child residential program for pregnant and parenting teenage girls. Food Smarts teach new mothers to plan, prepare, and prepare healthy meals to ensure they are getting the nutrients they need for a healthy pregnancy and to feed their families well. Young mothers are also learning about the benefits of physical activity and participating in exercise demonstrations, which will give them the tools they need to help them and their families lead healthier lives.

In the other youth houses, CFC uses Food Smarts in conjunction with the Food Smarts: Waste Reduction Workbook. Together, the young people learn how to prepare, store and conserve food in order to avoid food waste – and to go easy on their food budget.

Many teenagers who come to the shelters experience health effects due to Food insecurity and malnutrition – for example, obesity and type 2 diabetes are common. What they learn about healthy eating during their stay at the shelter will lead them to better health and is knowledge that they can apply on a daily basis.

One way to do this is to apply what they have learned through their SNAP-Ed programming to the meals they prepare for the home household using recipes from the Food Smarts cookbooks. Some even go a step further. For example, one young man found he enjoyed cooking so much that he started adapting other recipes, using the knowledge he had gained from Food Smarts, to create healthier, more delicious meals for his shelter family. He has since found a job as a line cook at a local restaurant and aspires to become a chef.

“When he cooks at the shelter, everyone comes to eat,” says Kelly. “This program introduced him to cooking when he was 19. Now he has ambitions for what he wants to do in life.”

Not only did he awaken the taste buds of everyone at the shelter, but he also showed how to adopt what you have learned, expand it and show everyone that healthy food tastes good. The next step connected him with CFC ServSafe Take food safety classes at the local community college to learn about safe food practices and get certified that will give them the skills they need to be successful in the workplace.

CFC is also involved in outreach that supports local food systems and improves access to affordable, healthy food through MFF Farmers Market Food Navigator program. Working in farmers’ markets that accept food aid dollars, Food Navigators help families on tight food budgets maximize their food dollars while eating a healthy diet. As nutrition educators, Food Navigators also offer healthy recipes, tastings and tips on choosing, storing and preparing fresh, locally grown produce. They also introduce the buyers to the market sellers, which creates a social connection between the buyers and the farmers who grow their food.

“At the South Lansing Farmers Market I get to know many families and help them eat healthier foods with fresh, locally grown, seasonal produce,” explains Angela Bunker, nutritionist and Farmers Market Food Navigator. “While working in the market, Beth and I thought it would be helpful to offer some physical activity after hearing from buyers that it can be difficult for them to be physically active on a regular basis. That’s why we started the Rec-Connect program with a number of demonstrations in the market because it has so many simple activities that anyone can try. “

Developed to inspire and empower people to exercise regularly, CFC is one of the first MFF partner organizations to introduce the Rec-Connect movement demonstrations at a farmers market. The Rec-Connect program aims to motivate people with their social connections to be physically active on a daily basis.

Bunker and Corcoran put together a team of community members to come up with a plan for a series of Rec-Connect physical activity demonstrations that they thought would be fun for buyers. Two of the demonstrations they selected were simple activities that used power bands and beach balls to get people moving.

“It just made sense to introduce the Rec-Connect program so that families could have some active fun in the market,” explains Corcoran.

After the demonstrations, they provide resources for attendees to do the home activities with their friends and families, and encourage them to set personal goals to be more active.

“We also make sure we share information on free local resources where people can go outside and move around, like on our nearby parks and hiking trails. Creating an atmosphere in which families feel supported in leading a healthier life is important to us and part of our mission, ”says Bunker.
Children in the community garden of the Family Growth Center.
Corcoran adds, “Yes, we want to encourage everyone to eat healthily and exercise more – that’s what a healthy lifestyle is about.”

source https://www.bisayanews.com/2021/09/24/child-and-family-charities-teaches-healthy-life-skills-with-snap-ed-programs/