SNAP-Ed UConn Food Security Project

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About SNAP-Ed

SNAP-Ed Program for people who receive USDA SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. We provide a collection of fact-based food and nutrition resources for parents, adults, and children; available in both English and Spanish, on a variety of nutrition topics including how to feed your family healthy foods on a budget. 

Seniors Eating Well Farmers’ Market Nutrition Seminars

A successful partnership between a local farm, a senior center, a local farmers' market and SNAP-Ed brings older adults better health. Older adults eat more fruits and vegetables and move more after participating in nutrition seminars and v is it in g a pop-up farm stand onsite at their local senior center.

A nutrition seminar and pop-up farm stand held directly at the senior center increased older adults nutrition knowledge and increases their physical activity. 94% of participants plan to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption after SNAP-Ed nutrition classes. Transportation provided for those in need by the senior center. The Seniors Eating Well Farmers Market Nutrition Seminars educated seniors
using the USDA curriculum Eat Smart Live Strong with a focus on eating more fruits and vegetables, and moving more.

The Seniors Eating Well Farmers Market Nutrition Seminars sought to improve the produce consumption and physical activity levels of older adults over age 60 years old. Lessons included ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables in their diet using budget friendly meals.

In 2022, overall we offered 5 seminars with 89 participants in the program with 242 occurrences of participation. The program addresses food security by increasing access to fresh food and increasing buying power by providing older adults with $20 certificates to purchase local produce. The $20 produce certificate is provided by the farmers' market collaborative.

Thank you to the Danbury Farmers' Market Community Collaborative, the Danbury Farmers' Market Director Peggy Zamore, RDN.; the Elmwood Hall Senior Center in Danbury, CT and Director, Susan Tomanio, LCSW.; Clatter Valley Farm in New Milford, CT and farmers Willow and Jeremy Schulz (Jeremy, a UConn alumni) https://clattervalleyfarm.com/, and UConn Extension and Assistant Extension Educator, Heather Peracchio, MS, RDN.

This program is funded in part by the USDA and CT SNAP-Ed Food Security project and in part by the Danbury Farmers' Market Community Collaborative. To learn more about upcoming SNAP-Ed programs, please visit the SNAP4CT webpage at https://www.snap4ct.org/ For more information on the SNAP-Ed Food Security project, please contact Dr. Michael Puglisi,
michael.puglisi@uconn.edu.

Download a copy of Seniors Eating Well Farmers' Market Nutrition Seminars

Contact us to request a SNAP-Ed class for your community program:

SNAP-Ed class request

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Meet our New London County SNAP-Ed Team

Meet our Fairfield County SNAP-Ed Team

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