Extension offers new nutrition program

MAT-SU -- Turning a limited budget into a delicious, healthy menu can seem like an impossible challenge. But now there's help.

The Alaska Cooperative Extension Service in Palmer recently began offering one of Alaska's first Food Stamp Nutrition Education Programs, designed to assist people with low incomes in planning, shopping for and preparing healthy, tasty meals within a limited budget. And despite the program's name, it is not just for food stamp recipients. Anyone who receives Women, Infants and Children assistance or food stamps, whose children are eligible for free school lunches or who meets the income limits can sign up for the free classes.

"I've found out there are many, many people who are interested," said Connie Carr, the program's nutrition educator. "It hasn't been just one kind of person … there are young mothers with small children, senior citizens and everyone in between."

Carr said the local Extension Service started the program about six months ago and so far she is assisting around 25 or 30 clients from throughout the Valley.

For those who are eligible, the program offers as many as 10 lessons on a wide variety of nutrition topics, including learning how to understand the different groups in the food guide pyramid, how to read food labels, how to plan meals and how to make the most of your food dollars.

Carr said she can do everything from organizing field trips to the grocery store where she assists clients in learning shopping skills, to going to their home kitchens to teach them recipes and cooking skills. In addition, people who live in outlying areas of the borough can use a correspondence course to learn the same skills.

But Carr isn't just reaching out to individuals. She says she is also working with a variety of public agencies and private organizations, such as churches, to teach larger groups. And because of the efficiency of such group lessons, she is hoping to expand this aspect of the program.

"My goal right now is to try to get more agencies to be aware of the program," she said. "Individual lessons are important, but we can reach more people faster with group lessons."

She said she can vary her lessons to the individual needs of the people. For example, some people may already be familiar with basic nutrition information but need more ideas of how to cook fast, healthy meals. Others are unfamiliar with the food guide pyramid or have been inundated with fad diet ideas. Others, she said, are parents who are looking for ways to better feed their children.

"The main thing I tell people is to eat your foods in variety and moderation from all the food groups, and choose nutrient-dense foods," she said. "If you do that … you're going to be fine."

Carr said she has also been working with local farms to make it possible for people to use food stamps at "U-pick" farms to purchase fruits and vegetables. Carr said one of the challenges is that in Alaska sometimes it can be cheaper to buy junk food than healthy food.

However, Carr wants Valley residents to know her program is available to make choosing better foods easier.

"Everyone has to work at it. This is the government's way of helping families work at it," she said.

Alaska is the last state to get the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program, and Palmer and Kenai are leading the way with the pilot programs this year.

"It's been around a long time in our nation, but it's just new here," Carr said. "I think the Valley is really going to benefit … There's definitely a need in our community."

More information about eligibility and scheduling lessons is available by calling the Palmer office of the Alaska Cooperative Extension Service at 745-3360 or by e-mailing Carr at connie@uaa.alaska.edu.