This June, Cornell University Cooperative Extension-NYC (CUCE-NYC) celebrated the 55th anniversary of the Expanded Food and Nutrition and Education Program (EFNEP) in New York City. Through a series of events in Brooklyn, Harlem, Queens and the Bronx, CUCE-NYC EFNEP staff recognized the contributions of partner organizations that allow the organization to deliver programming throughout the city.
EFNEP is a federally funded nutrition education program for youth and families delivered through the Cooperative Extension Service in every state and U.S. territory.
“EFNEP has touched low-income families across the US since 1969,” said Yexenia Gomez, EFNEP coordinator for the Brooklyn and Queens regions in opening remarks at the Brooklyn celebration. “This program represents a joint effort of federal, USDA, NIFA, and state land grant universities like Cornell, and local partnerships, such as yours, to support the nutritional needs of our communities.”
Cornell Cooperative Extension delivers EFNEP programming in every county in New York state. In New York City, CUCE-NYC partners with Head Start programs, community-based organizations and other agencies to conduct group workshops with adults, parents and children.
“Incorporating the EFNEP program into our nutrition program has increased positivity [and] enhanced community reach by supplying our clients with the resources they need for a better lifestyle,” said Jeanine Markey, a program coordinator at the Hellen Keller Services of the Blind.
Markey collaborated with Brooklyn nutrition educators to bring an adapted EFNEP program into the center’s ongoing nutrition programming. The classes—which were adapted and led by community nutrition educator Militha McLeod—supported visually impaired clients with grocery shopping and budgeting for low-cost, nutritious meals.
“The work that is done around nutrition by the program is transformational. You all are agents of change,” said Angela Odoms-Young, associate professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences in Cornell Human Ecology. Odoms-Young is the director of the Food and Nutrition in Communities (FNEC) and EFNEP.
The EFNEP curriculum covers a variety of topics including the different food groups, the importance of various nutrients and a balanced diet, food safety, budgeting and more.
EFNEP’s success is due in large part to its unique peer mentoring model, explained Carol Parker, CUCE-NYC’s nutrition and health program leader. Many community nutrition educators participated in the program before teaching it. Equipped with the skills and knowledge of their communities, educators can reach the families, friends and communities they reside in. In New York City, workshops are taught in Spanish, Bengali, English, Creole, Chinese and more.
The workshops reach over 5,000 city residents each year, and community nutrition educators reach an additional 18,000 residents through health fairs and farmers markets.
“It’s about arming and ensuring our communities have the knowledge that they need,” said Borough President Donovan Richards at the celebration in Queens, before presenting CUCE-NYC’s EFNEP program with a Citation of Honor. The honor recognizes the longstanding impact of nutrition education on Queens communities.
Celebrations in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan also honored partner organizations and local policymakers, including representatives from the Department of Education, East Harlem Bilingual Head Start Program, and NYS Senator Natalia Fernandez. Partners were presented with certificates of recognition and program graduates shared their experiences in the program.
“These reunions, bringing together our partners, policymakers, and the educators who make EFNEP possible, recognize the profound impact of this program, on workshop participants and on their families and communities,” said Jennifer Tiffany, executive director of CUCE-NYC.
Natalia Rommen