Family Nutrition Program

Bringing Knowledge to Life! / Partner Report /
Gladwin County
County Library Building, 555 West Cedar Street
Gladwin, Michigan 48624-2025
Phone: 989-426-7741 / E-mail:
Fax: 989-426-6781
Web: msue.msu.edu/gladwin
December 2008

FAMILY NUTRITION PROGRAM

The Family Nutrition Program wound down a very busy program year in September. In the 2007-08 year there were 25 adults who completed a series of The Family Nutrition Program wound down a very busy program year in September. In the 2007-08 year there were 25 adult home or class visits, comprised of a minimum of six lessons each with most in excess of that amount. Our new program guidance is urging us to do eight lessons in six sessions as greater change is seen from longer enrollments and more lessons. There were 11 who were unable to complete a series of lessons, but 23 other enrolled participants continued into October of 2008. This year also saw 80% of participants enrolling in a group rather than individually. Some of these were planned classes and some became a group as a home visit grew to include more than just the one who initially signed up for nutrition education. In addition to this, Program Associate Coral Beth Rowley worked with children on nutrition and being physically active in after-school lessons at the Beaverton SPARKS program and at some other events and presentations.

Project FRESH reached 204 families this summer, about a 50 to 60 person decrease from our normal numbers. We did not push enrollments as hard this year because our ability to purchase coupons was decreased, as Project FRESH in Gladwin County is privately funded and those dollars were decreased. However, we were able to obtain some great materials supplied by a grant at MSU for a campaign called “Grow Your Kids with Fruits and Veggies”. These were a big hit with Project FRESH families and at a taste-testing day at the Department of Human Services, as well as at a couple other community events and a food pantry.

CHILD CAREGIVERS ATTEND BKC SATURDAY TRAINING

Local child care providers attended all day Better Kid Care training on Saturday, November 22, 2008, at the Gladwin County Extension Office. Ten persons, ranging from licensed home providers, to grandparents, participated in four workshops. Each workshop provided two professional training hours, so some providers were able to obtain eight of their mandated hours in one day.

Better Kid Care trainers Lori Marx and Robin Weiss facilitated the workshops, whose topics were: Parents and Providers Working as Partners, in which participants identify positive communication strategies, Thrive by Five, teaching even the youngest children about financial literacy, Got Dirt?, exploring the benefits of gardening with children, and Home Safe Kids, identifying common indoor environmental hazards, such as radon, lead poisoning, second hand smoke, and mold.

Participants were provided with great supportive materials to take with them to share with children, in addition to ideas for supporting the workshop topics through hands on activities. Planting sweet potatoes and making spending puzzles. Practicing listening skills and radon test kit demonstrations were some of the activities participants were able to participate in. Lee Hannahs, a grandfather and retired engineer, whose son and grandson reside with, commented, “I learned something today! It was a very informative day, and well worth the time.”

Robin and Lori will be offering the same class scenario in Arenac County on Saturday, January 10, 2009, and in Clare County on March 7, 2009. According to Robin, “With the high cost of gas, all day trainings provided our child care providers with the opportunity to obtain many of their mandated training hours in one day. The fact that our trainings are all free is just an added bonus.” Participants are able to attend as many of the workshops as they would like during the day. Supplemental materials were provided by Independent Bank, Sunrise Family Credit Union, and Central Michigan Health Department.

LOCAL FRESH FOOD CREATING HEALTHY KIDS

AND A MARKET FOR FARMERS

The Farm to school effort in the Gladwin Community Schools will not only provide local farm fresh food to area school children. It will also provide a local market for farmers in the area to send their produce. There are also several smaller farms in the area that are considering adding fresh greens, tomatoes and other vegetables to their list of products grown. This is all in an effort to help the school food program fill as much of its menu as possible with locally grown food that is as fresh as fresh can be. Kable Thurlow, the Agriculture Extension Educator for Clare and Gladwin has been working with a committee consisting of local farmers like David and Mary Moore of Stone Cottage Gardens who are currently marketing fresh greens on a weekly basis from their hoophouse since the late spring of 2008. Farmers like Jenny Jadwin of Clare County, and Terry Blaga hope to be able to provide the school with the fresh organically grown produce they directly sell from their farms. There are several other farmers that are interested in this market as well. There are lots of hurdles to jump over, but the farmers on the committee, as well as Janet Nettleton, the Gladwin District Food Program supervisor are confident that everything will work out. “Everything will work out, and we are willing to take baby steps so that the farmers and the school can learn how to work together,” noted Janet Nettleton. There are several members of the committee with very serious passion to see this all work out, one of them is Melody Wentworth with the MMCC-SBTDC. Her passion for this project fits right in with everyone else’s and it is much appreciated. The group hopes to have local produce in the schools by the spring of 2009.

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G. Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.