Keeping People Healthy

Encouraging healthy behaviors helps reduce food and health care costs by helping prevent chronic health conditions and providing safe environments throughout a person’s life span.

When you support MSU Extension, you help participants learn safe food handling practices, increase their physical activity and improve the quality of their diets. Extension programming also helps decrease incidents of violence and bullying. Encouraging these healthy behaviors helps reduce food and health care costs by preventing chronic health conditions and providing safe environments throughout a person’s life span.

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MSU Extension’s Nutrition Education (SNAP-Ed) programs including Cooking Matters, Eat Healthy, Be Active, Jump Into Foods and Fitness, Healthy Harvest and Show Me Nutrition teach income-eligible adults and children how to:

  • Make the most of their food dollars
  • Develop skills such as menu planning
  • Understand recipes
  • Prepare food safely

In 2017, MSU Extension SNAP-Ed programs were presented to 66 adults and youth in Montmorency County!

Youth Multi-session nutrition lessons: 40

Adult Multi-session nutrition lessons: 26

Adult Programming

Northeast Michigan Prescription for Health is a Michigan Health Endowment grant funding partnership with Alcona Health Center , District 2 and 4 Health Departments, Thunder Bay Health Center, and numerous local vendors to refer participants to a 6-week nutrition class and receive $10 vouchers weekly (a total of $60) to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables available to eight counties in our region. Voucher redemption rates have been high—over 85% which further demonstrates participants are following through and putting knowledge into action.

  • 75.5% graduated from the program
  • A total of $6,120 vouchers were purchased for fresh fruits and vegetables
  • 49% of those reported recorded weight loss

Youth Programming

In partnership with Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency, MSU Extension instructors provide 30 minute lessons in Lewiston and Royston.

National Breakfast week in partnership with Hillman schools food service prepare 200 prepacked bags and distribute to all elementary, preschool, and Headstart classrooms including educational materials and breakfast promotion items.

Karen Fifield has lead this effort for MSU Extension for more than 10 years with Bonnie Hardies and Kaelie Fessler assisting this year

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Backpack Program

MSU Extension is serving children and families weekly in the Tip of the Mitt area through a partnership with Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. As part of the backpack programs of food distributed for the weekends, 72 children and families at 2 schools in Montmorency County receive recipes, resources and information to make the healthier choice an easy choice.

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