EFNEP - the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program is a free program  for qualifying families
funded by the US Department of Agriculture through a federal, state, and local partnership.
EFNEP is managed by UF/IFAS, the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
and offered through county Extension offices.
We saw a very natural fit with the Extension Program with EFNEP and saw that their curriculum matched
almost exactly with what we saw were the needs that needed to be addressed in the communities .
We think EFNEP is one of the solutions to help us to decrease the incidence of diabetes, obesity and the like.
The program is designed to assist families with limited resources, and particularly households with children.
Lessons are taught in a group setting with an emphasis on improving food security and health through nutrition,
managing food resources, and exercise.
If you eat healthy, you feel better.
You have more energy and you are more productive.
So I like to share that with others.
And I got into the class and we got, got going and you know, just learning the basic of the food and stuff,
I go, "Hey this is great, because I'm learning something that I didn't know about the food that, that we buy.”
Throughout the educational series, participants learn how to save money on groceries,
read food labels, and plan and cook healthy meals.
Fun, educational handouts and tools such as measuring cups and exercise bands are offered at each lesson.
We make the food, most of the time in front of them, it depends on where we're actually teaching at,
but when they're able to see it, see us cooking it, know that this is easy
and then they taste it and love it, that really does make a difference,
I'm really picky with food, so trying new food in the classes help out as well,
most of the time, I find out that, yeah, I, I like this, so it's, it's a plus.
EFNEP has been taught for more than 45 years across the country
and the evidence-based lessons are offered in English with Spanish and Creole available in some locations.
Supplementary lessons may be requested for pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers.
One of the really great things I see involved with the EFNEP program is its ability to truly show
the benefits that it provides to the community.
Whether it's through the nutrition education,
the cost savings to those participants in terms of their grocery budgets,
and, in addition, those indirect savings that they can realize through decreased medical costs.
I would say invite EFNEP to your organization, to your institution, whatever group there is.
If you're concerned about health disparity, I believe that EFNEP is one of the solutions,
one of the great opportunities to educate your audience.
Fruits, vegetables, exercise, good sleeping, a lot of water
It's a world of information that you need to put in your life to be healthy, energized and keep an active life.
It's really important.
