Author: Donna Ridener
Planning Unit: McCreary County CES
Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
~~The McCreary County Nutrition Education Program assistant meets monthly with the McCreary County Housing Authority residents. The group shared that they find it difficult to have enough food to get them through the month. Many complained that fruits and vegetables cost too much and they could not afford to feed them to their families. While having group discussion we discovered they were spending too much on convenience foods, and unhealthy items such as soda, candy, cookies, and food from the deli. 31.5% of the families in McCreary County live below the poverty line. 4.7% of them are working a full time job.During the Nutrition Education classes they were taught the Healthy Choices for Every Body Curriculum which covers how to plan and prepare healthy meals using My Plate as a guide. They also were taught how to read labels, food safety, how important it is to eat breakfast, and how to eat better on a budget. During our program the group was given grocery list magnets to take home and use. We went over how to use them in class. A couple of the women stated that they had never used a grocery list when shopping. We covered the cost of fruits and vegetables and the different ways we could save money when we bought them. The group shared ideals on how to save. One lady said she had a neighbor who had given her some apples from her apple tree and had put 5 quart bags in the freezer to eat this winter. Of the 84 families graduated in McCreary County in 2016 all showed a positive change in their eating habits, 56% has shown an improvement in resource management, 47% improved on food safety and 66% have shown improvement on diet quality.
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