Saving Hope Charities is a non-profit, non-denominational, Christ-centered living facility for women with children, or expectant mothers.  Saving Hope Charities offers a six month and up to one year program for women and their children who are homeless and/or trying to break free of the system and rebuild their independence. Each lady is required to complete trainings in parenting skills, relationship building, child discipline methods, home maintenance, cooking and banking. They are also tutored in order to obtain a GED, and, make preparations to enroll in college, if she so desires. Women in the Saving Hope facility also benefit from interview and job skills to ensure that each one secures employment that she finds rewarding; and in turn, will launch her into self-sustainability.  One of Saving Hope’s mission statements is, “A life-training shelter for women and children...changing their way of life...building up a strong foundation for generations to come.”

Recently Saving Hope Charities partnered with the Nutrition Education Program Assistant from the Grayson County Extension Office. The NEP Assistant used the “Healthy Choices for Every Body” Curriculum; and taught a series of 10 nutrition classes; which also included knife skills. 

There were twelve (12) participants that completed the entire series showing noteworthy improvements in all categories of nutrition and physical activity knowledge, understanding and practices. The chart below confirms improvement status among these clients. 

       Key Fact: 100% (12 of 12) of participants showed improvement in one or more diet quality indicators(i.e., eating fruits, vegetables, red and orange vegetables, dark green vegetables, drinking less regular soda (not diet), drinking less fruit punch, fruit drinks, sweet tea, or sports drinks, and cooking dinner at home).       

Improvement in Areas

# % 0% 100%

1+ Areas 12 of 12 100%

2+ Areas 12 of 12 100%

3+ Areas 12 of 12 100%

4+ Areas 12 of 12 100%

5+ Areas 11 of 12 91%

6+ Areas 9 of 12 75%

 7+ Areas 6 of 12 50% 

In addition to these improvements, there was a significant change in the amount of physical activity. At entry there was 16.67 % who participated in 60 minutes or more of physical activity, and at the end of the series, this percentage was 58.33 %. Other improvements include 100% in food resource management, 92% thaw foods less often at room temperature, and 100% of participants cook dinner more often at home. The clients from Saving Hope Charities have proven to have greatly benefited from the “Healthy Choices for Every Body” curriculum that was taught by the Nutrition Education Program Assistant from the Grayson County Cooperative Extension Service.