Grant County averages 2408 families receiving SNAP Benefits of $304 per month.  100% of Grant County School Students receive free lunches.  The Grant County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program (SNAP-Ed) in conjunction with the Sherman Elementary School Family Resource Center worked with the third grade students to assist them in making better nutrition choices.  Since many of the children are home without adults for some period after school (until their parents get home from work), they needed to learn how to make healthy snacks and how to be safe in the kitchen. The SNAP Education Assistant, the Sherman Family Resource Center, teachers, and Master Food Volunteers, worked with the students, after school, to prepare healthy snacks and recipes from the Nutrition Education Program Calendar.   Students were instructed from the Professor Popcorn Curriculum about My Plate, Food Safety, Physical Activity, Hand washing, and were instructed on Kitchen safety.  With the assistance of the Family Resource Center and volunteers, students had the opportunity to practice reading recipes, measuring, comparing food labels, and recognizing the food groups from My Plate.  They were instructed in making healthy recipes for after school snacks and simple meals.  By the end of the series, students were able to read recipes, compare labels, prepare simple snacks and practiced correct hand washing.  The students were encouraged to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables before eating because all of the recipes practiced contained a fruit or vegetable.  By the end of the six hour program, 60% of the students ate more vegetables as snacks, 50% ate more fruit as snacks, 70% more read nutrition labels and 63% improved washing fruits and vegetables.  When asked 100% of the students had prepared at least one recipe at home with only adult supervision.  One parent stated “I’m shocked, because they wouldn’t even try a vegetable before and now they are asking for me to buy them at the store.”   A student stated, “I can make a snack without asking my big sister to do it.”