What is SNAP-Education?
- Millions of Floridians struggle with obesity, poverty, and food insecurity.
- SNAP-Education helps address this issue by teaching people who use or are eligible for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) about good nutrition and how to stretch their food dollars further.
- The UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition Program (FNP) has provided SNAP-Education in Florida since 1996 through partnerships with local organizations.
- Funding comes from the USDA through the Florida Department of Children and Families.
- Programming is based on the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and the USDA Food Guidance System (MyPlate).
Our Mission
We help limited-resource families in Florida access more nutritious food choices on a budget and adopt healthier eating and physical activity habits to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic disease.
Our Values
Note: Some images in this report were taken prior to national guidelines of face coverings and social distancing.
What We Do
We teach nutrition education classes at locations where people normally gather, such as schools, community centers, libraries, and churches, as well as online.
We support policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes in communities to help make nutrition education go further.
739,692
people reached
1,025
locations
Programming in 40 counties:
Who We Are
FNP's team of more than 160 people serves 40 Florida counties through UF/IFAS Extension with passion and dedication. The program is headquartered in Gainesville, Florida.
Many of our nutrition educators and their supervisors come from the communities they serve.
In addition to English, classes are offered in Spanish and Haitian-Creole in some counties, to serve Florida's diverse population.
Our regional staff specialize in public health and food systems and connect our partners to the resources they need.
What Participants Learn in Class
FNP offers free evidence-based nutrition education classes for all age groups. Topics include:
- Cooking skills
- Shopping on a budget
- Reading nutrition labels
- Preparing and storing foods safely
- Growing fresh produce
- Being more physically active
- Improving the home food environment
85,936
people reached
54,874
youth
31,062
adults
13,767
classes taught
Celebrating Success!
Student Inspires Her Family to Eat Better
One mother of a middle school student shared that after completing an FNP nutrition class at school, her daughter challenged herself and her family to try a fruit and vegetable in their lunch each day. Now the whole family has been eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.
What used to be a grocery aisle we avoided is an aisle we love coming to. We pick out different things like you discussed with her, and we’ve even gotten her picky little sister to try a few things!” — Mom of middle schooler in Franklin County
When healthy changes in a community occur alongside nutrition education, the community benefits.
Our public health and food systems specialists provide support to local partners for policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes that strengthen the impact of nutrition education.
Support can include free training, consultations, technical assistance, and networking and coalition building, depending on the partner's needs.
650,000+
people reached
329
PSE changes
Growing and Learning through Gardens
Gardens are a fun and physically active way to introduce youth and adults to fruits and vegetables they might not have tried before.
193
school, childcare, and community gardens supported
26,000
youth and adults engaged
The children love coming outside to water the plants every day. They love their garden and interacting with the plants. Everybody especially loves the collards!" — Olive Cooper, site director, Colonial Drive Park, Miami-Dade County
The Florida Crunch: Learning to be a Good Taster
The Florida Crunch is a campaign designed to celebrate National Farm to School Month each October. While connecting school food service programs with local growers, Florida Crunch events provide positive exposure to a fruit or vegetable students might not have tried before and education on where their food comes from.
30
events in
13
counties
14,700
students reached
11+
Florida farmers participated
Watch the video FNP staff created to celebrate the Florida Crunch virtually in 2020:
Fresh Access Bucks Double Your Dollars
Fresh Access Bucks (FAB) is a USDA-funded statewide nutrition incentive program run by Feeding Florida. FAB increases the purchasing power of SNAP recipients to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at selected local outlets. FNP connects Feeding Florida with farmers markets to increase access to FAB. New in 2020, we partnered to expand FAB access to corner store settings.
FNP’s support of Feeding Florida’s Fresh Access Bucks retail pilot program in Lee and Collier counties with comprehensive signage throughout the store ensured that SNAP/EBT customers could quickly benefit from the incentive to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. With nearly 140,000 SNAP/EBT recipients in those counties, communicating a new program effectively and accessibly was pivotal." — Meghan Fiveash, Fresh Access Bucks communications coordinator, Feeding Florida
Partner Trainings
Another way that FNP helps support healthy change in communities is through training partner staff on how to promote healthy behaviors and reduce food insecurity. Training topics include:
- Garden education
- Early childhood education
- Smarter Lunchrooms Movement
- Healthy food pantries
- Farm to community
1,276
partner staff trained
Early Childhood Education
Florida HEROs (Healthy Environments for Reducing Obesity), administered by the Health Council of Southeast Florida and funded by Nemours Children’s Health System, is a statewide recognition program to encourage healthy learning environments for children ages zero to five. FNP specialists support the Florida HEROs program as certified Go NAPSACC consultants, trainers, and technical assistance providers. The program's five best practices are:
- Provide healthy food
- Offer healthy beverages
- Support breastfeeding
- Increase physical activity
- Limit screen time
207
providers trained
49
PSE changes
43
centers
2,763
children reached
Smarter Lunchrooms Movement
The Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM), a collection of 60 techniques developed at Cornell University, encourages K-12th grade students to select and consume more nutritious foods in the school cafeteria. FNP specialists are certified to provide SLM technical assistance and training.
524
school food service staff trained
16
counties adopted techniques
147,049
students reached
Healthy Food Pantries
Feeding America projects that Florida's food insecure population increased from 2.8 million to more than 3.6 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic crisis.
In response, FNP collaborated with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and UF/IFAS Extension agents to create an internal professional development series on supporting pantry partners during social distancing. We also expanded resources and training for pantry staff and volunteers on how to promote healthy foods to clients at traditional and drive-through pantries.
107,797
food pantry clients reached
13
pantries
8
counties
31
staff and volunteers trained
Partnering to Meet the Challenges of COVID-19
With the onset of the pandemic, we temporarily suspended in-person programming for the health and safety of participants, partners, and staff. During this time, FNP continued to support partners involved in food distribution and expanded our offering of online information and partner training to stay connected with our communities.
Staying Connected Online
To continue connecting partners and participants with evidence-based information during the pandemic, FNP developed content to be shared through social media, the FNP website, and online trainings. Examples include healthy recipe videos, home gardening tips, Ask the Expert Q&A feature, and a children's book read along.
Check out our social media channels and website here:
FNP recipes support our food distributions, especially during this difficult time when families in need require creative ideas to offer healthy meals with the food we provide them. We appreciate your partnership...it takes a village." — Monica Correa, programs outreach manager, Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida
Celebrating Success!
Increased Access to Fresh Foods in Central Florida
Early in the pandemic, members of the Central Florida Alliance to End Hunger Working Group realized a growing need for access to healthy food in their community. St. Luke's United Methodist Church, a lead member of the working group, planned for a new distribution site at Shepherd's Hope Health Center in East Winter Garden, Fla., but had funds for only four weeks of food.
FNP contacted the Society of St. Andrews (SoSA), a gleaning organization, for help. SoSA met with St. Luke's and committed to providing fresh, Florida-grown produce weekly. For more than three months, until harvest season ended, 500-700 individuals received fresh produce each week.
Angela [FNP public health specialist] connected us with our own community partner that we had known for some 20 years, but in a new way. Because of this connection, we were able to extend four weeks of [food] distribution to 12 weeks.” — Mariam Mengistie, executive director of missions, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
Thank You!
Our program is made possible through hundreds of partners across the state. They provide resources such as staff time, expertise, donated goods, and space in which to conduct programming. We work with the following types of partner organizations:
- Adult education and job training sites
- Agricultural organizations
- Childcare centers and Head Start programs
- City and regional planning groups
- Community centers
- Elder service centers
- Faith-based organizations
- Farmers and farmers markets
- Federal, state, and local governmental organizations
- Food banks and pantries
- Grocery stores
- Health and human services organizations
- Hospitals and clinics
- Nonprofit organizations
- Parks and recreation centers
- Public health organizations
- Public housing and shelters
- Public libraries
- Schools
- Transportation groups
- Worksites
Special thank you
To our funding agency, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and our fellow SNAP-Ed implementing agency, the Florida Department of Health.
Partner with us to create a healthier Florida!
¡Asóciese con nosotros para una Florida más saludable!
An nou travay ansanm pou nou gen yon Florid pi an sante!
This material was funded by the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. SNAP funding is provided through the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Photos by UF/IFAS Photography, FNP staff, SNAP-Ed Connection, Tallahassee School of Math and Science, and iStockphoto.com.