Impact Stories

Food eTalk Smartphone App Makes Nutrition Education Mobile

The University of Georgia (UGA) SNAP-Ed team has launched Food eTalk, a smartphone-based eLearning nutrition education program. The easily navigated mobile app features six 10-minute interactive lessons, cooking videos, and just-in-time learning videos. Food eTalk also includes a Southern-accented voiceover, in addition to lessons that focus on sodium reduction, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, food resource management tips, and food safety. The application’s content is based on research conducted by UGA faculty, graduate students, and staff within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

California LGU SNAP-Ed Program Equips Hundreds of Teachers to Deliver “Virtual” Physical Activity to Students

Increasing physical activity is a key goal of SNAP-Ed. The LGU SNAP-Ed program in California (University of California “CalFresh”) delivered a “Brain Breaks in the Virtual World” training to 600 elementary, middle, and high school teachers working in Riverside County public schools. The training included virtual physical activity break demonstrations and a resource list with links to videos. A 3-month follow-up survey revealed that teachers implemented the physical activity breaks with more than 3,000 students.

Growing Together: Six-State Community Garden Program Increases Access to Fruits and Vegetables in Food Pantries

One of the strengths of LGU SNAP-Ed is its ability to leverage the power of other LGU programs and expertise, including the Master Gardener program. The “Growing Together” project is a collaborative, multi-state project led by Indiana’s Purdue University SNAP-Ed and Extension Master Gardener programs. It operates at six LGUs in Extension’s North Central region, including Purdue, Iowa State University, Michigan State University, University of Illinois, University of Nebraska, and the University of Wisconsin. “Growing Together” increases access to fruits and vegetables in food pantries through building and maintaining a network of community donation gardens.

When COVID-19 hit, the Purdue team pivoted and focused the 2020 growing season on serving senior in-home service clients. These seniors faced significant obstacles in securing fresh fruits and vegetables. The Purdue SNAP-Ed team – partnering with local Master Gardener programs across the state – deployed 349 volunteers in 14 counties. These volunteers cultivated nearly two dozen gardens. More than 7,000 pounds of fresh produce was distributed to 33 food distribution and nutrition education sites, reaching an estimated 10,000 clients.

Illinois SNAP-ED Team Deploys Multiple Strategies to Serve Participants During COVID-19 Crisis

As soon as the first stay-at-home order was issued in Illinois, the LGU SNAP-Ed team reached out to 700 partner organizations to assess needs. They developed a response strategy that included educational materials, virtual education opportunities, and also helped connect community resources and partners. The team delivered 314 virtual classes, reaching 2,865 individuals. In response to surging food insecurity in the state, the team also spearheaded the development of a virtual tool: the Find Food IL Community Food Map. This comprehensive tool maps all resources a food-insecure family might need, making it particularly convenient for those with limited transportation access. Visitors can search by their city or zip code and filter by resource type. It includes school and summer meal sites; food pantries; grocery stores and farmers markets that accept food benefits; SNAP and WIC offices; and senior food resources.

North Carolina Team Innovates Nutrition Education

When the pandemic hit North Carolina, unemployment surged and the demand for food pantries rapidly increased. A team from North Carolina State’s SNAP-Ed (Steps to Health) and EFNEP programs quickly organized a novel nutrition education program: Nutrition Card Decks. The colorful cards include recipes, nutritional information, how to safely store and prepare food, and other practical tips to help families get cooking and make healthy food choices during a challenging time. The nutrition decks also provide information that enables individuals to easily connect with other nutrition-related resources. A total of 102,000 nutrition card decks were included with emergency food boxes distributed at 264 sites. The SNAP-ED program also created a public-facing website that makes nutrition education more accessible and made a series of short YouTube videos that help adult SNAP recipients “make the healthy choice the easy choice.”

LGU SNAP-Ed National Report

LGU SNAP-Ed State Reports

We have received the following states FY24 impact reports on their SNAP-Ed work during the 2024 fiscal year.

Click on the name of each state to view the corresponding report:

LGU SNAP-Ed State Reports

We have received the following states FY23 impact reports on their SNAP-Ed work during the 2023 fiscal year.

Click on the name of each state to view the corresponding report:

Multi-State Highlights — Growing Together

Extension in Infographics