Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Program

The Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Program (PA NEP) facilitates community-based partnerships with Penn State Cooperative Extension to improve the everyday lives of people with limited resources. Program topics demonstrate how to achieve the following:

• Have a safe and secure home environment
• Plan and prepare healthy, low-cost meals
• Use Food Stamps and food dollars wisely

Who Is Eligible?

PA NEP provides food and nutrition education exclusively for Food Stamp recipients and for Food Stamp eligible persons.

How Is The Program Delivered?

The program is administered through Cooperative Extension in cooperation with community partners. PA NEP nutrition educators deliver informal and easily accessible educational programs in homes or community meeting places. They teach families and individuals practical skills in healthy eating, food safety, and budgeting. Programs take into account variables such as age, culture, reading ability, and physical or developmental limitations.

PA NEP provides program lessons, food demonstrations, displays, newsletters, handouts, and other activites designed for audiences ranging from parents, children, and pregnant teens to seniors.

Lessons based on the Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans teach participants how to make good choices to improve the nutritional quality of the meals they serve their families. Through experiential learning, participants can increase their ability to:

• Select and buy food that meets the nutritional needs of their families
• Gain new skills in food preparation, storage, safety, and sanitation
• Learn to better manage food budgets (including the use of Food Stamps and WIC coupons)

Parents of school-aged children can recieve emergency food, prepare and eat a hot lunch with neighbors, and gain life skills.

Children and Youth

PA NEP provides nutrition education to help children and youth develop healthy eating patterns and skills in preparing nutritious meals and snacks. The curriculum emphasizes learning by experience and reflection, and is adaptable to a variety of educational settings. Delivery modes include after-school programs, day camps, 4-H clubs, and youth group activities during the summer.

Mature Adults

Mature adults participate in hands-on educational activities to learn how to stretch their food dollars and make healthy food choices. The learn-by-doing approach encourages positive behavior changes.

Activities also cover common medical conditions, dental health, drug and food interactions, and the importance of dietary variety, saving time and money, weight gain or loss, and overcoming obstacles to shopping, cooking, and eating healthfully.

"I liked how the recipe was made of things I normally have at home, and how it was easy to make."

-PA NEP participant

Funding for the PA NEP is a cooperative venture between the federal, state, and local governments. The PANEP is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service(fns) through the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) and is matched with state and county funds through a myriad of community agencies and organizations.