Carol Chandler, Nichole Brandenburg and Liz Smith
OSUE SNAP-Ed Receives $55,000 Grant from Walmart State Giving Program
Ohio State University Extension, Family and Consumer Sciences’ SNAP-Ed program has received a $55,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program to provide meals and groceries for two, six-week Cooking Matters courses in 20 Ohio counties.
The funds will allow the SNAP-Ed Cooking Matters team to provide lesson plan meals and groceries during two, six-week Cooking Matters courses at 20 select Ohio counties. Specifically, it will provide 440 SNAP eligible adults and parents with hands-on healthful cooking and nutrition education.
Program Coordinator Nichole Brandenburg said these funds would be used for purchasing:
- Food for class preparation stations
- Participant take home weekly groceries
- $10 gift cards for grocery store shopping challenge
- Cooking tools and insulated travel bags
The project is a partnership with the national nonprofit Share Our Strength to implement its Cooking Matters curriculum into Ohio SNAP-Ed programming. These courses will empower families with the knowledge and skills to shop for, and cook healthy meals on a limited budget thereby decreasing food insecurity, obesity, and diet-related disease.
“Cooking Matters is a great addition to the SNAP-Ed program as it gives participants hands-on meal preparation experience by cooking in a classroom setting and providing the ingredients to replicate the meals at home for their families,” said Ana Claudia Zubieta, Family and Consumer Sciences SNAP-Ed director.
The mission of Ohio’s SNAP-Ed program is to improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP benefits in Ohio will make healthy food choices within a limited budget and choose physically active lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA food guidance. Currently, Ohio SNAP-Ed serves 74 counties throughout the state.
“Addressing hunger is a high priority for us,” said Pat Bebo, interim assistant director and director of community nutrition for Family and Consumer Sciences. “This grant will help us make a difference in the lives of SNAP eligible participants by educating them to buy smart and adopt healthy lifestyles.”
Grant authors are Nichole Brandenburg, SNAP-Ed program coordinator; Carol Chandler, SNAP-Ed program specialist; Liz Smith, SNAP-Ed program specialist; Aaron Conley, associate director of development, The Ohio State University Foundation.
To learn more about the OSUE SNAP-Ed program, visit fcs.osu.edu.
About the Walmart State Giving Program
Every year, the Walmart State Giving program looks for organizations that address the needs of communities they serve and make a significant social impact within Walmart's core areas of giving: fighting hunger and healthy eating, workforce development, disaster preparedness, and other needs specific to many Ohio communities. For more information about the Walmart Foundation's State Giving Program, visit giving.walmart.com/foundation.