Health & Family
Better Health in Your Family
Now let's plug the "Extension" cord into the kitchen socket for a nutritional connection. It's amazing what modern appliances and kitchen gadgets can accomplish for busy families at meal and snack time. The Family Nutrition Program (FNP) spotlights My Pyramid by featuring delicious foods to generate BETTER HEALTH IN YOUR FAMILY --- grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and meat and beans along with increased physical fitness for a healthy lifestyle. Pre-school through senior citizens were also introduced to important lessons on dietary quality (nutrition), food safety and security, and money management skills to stretch the family's food budget.
Approximately 1,000 - 1,200 pre-school and elementary students (7 school districts) per month participated in hands-on lessons that increased their knowledge of the new USDA My Pyramid guidelines (www.mypyramid.gov) for eating healthier and being more active in their daily lives. A variety of newsletters and activity sheets are distributed to parents and guardians for additional impact.
Nutritional information, fact sheets, and recipes were distributed on a monthly basis to 36 residents of the independent living housing unit and 25 at the Peace Meal site in Gibson City.
Parents Night Out programs sponsored by Head Start were presented to 36 parents at Watseka, Gilman and Paxton. Topics presented were Tips on Grocery Shopping, and Healthy Snacks along with a Community Action Health Fair at Paxton with 22 in attendance.
At the annual Food Handlers Re-Certification course, 25 individuals from area restaurants, schools, grocery and convenient stores and other related outlets learned about various aspects of food safety and renewed their license through the Illinois Department of Health.
Four nutritional summer reading programs were presented at the Gilman, Piper City, Paxton and Watseka Libraries. 100 youth participants learned about Fun with Tropical Fruits and made fruit smoothies for a nutritional snack.
Informational bulletin boards along with monthly walk-through clinics, nutritional demonstrations, and money management activities were presented to clientele at the Ford and Iroquois County Family Community Resource Centers (FCRC) in Paxton and Watseka. A commodities cookbook "How to Use Commodities to Eat Well" was provided to approximately 50 low income individuals and their families each month. In addition, a looped video focusing on My Pyramid was placed in both county FCRC offices for continuous educational segments in English and Spanish.
Iroquois County Back to School Fair featured a U of I Extension interactive display for 300 children and their families returning back to school in the fall. Nutritious snacks and newsletter handouts were provided during this event.
15 - 20 members of the Gibson Area Diabetes Support group learned about the importance of physical fitness as well as carbohydrates and diabetes at 2 separate classes.
Sixteen child care providers attended the training program sponsored by the Watseka Child Care Resource Association. Three presentations on Hidden Poisons in Your Home; Healthy Moves for Healthy Kids; and Popcorn & Grain Snacks were included during the training session. Providers were also introduced to new and interactive game ideas.
18-20 Hispanic children attending the Gilman Head Start program have learned about healthy eating using My
Pyramid as a guide. Bi-monthly sessions have established a great relationship with the children and parents.
One hundred five 5th grade students at Gibson City - Melvin - Sibley (GCMS) Elementary School tested their knowledge of food and kitchen safety during an interactive and humorous skit at the annual Progressive Farmer Farm Safety Day Camp.
Watseka Head Start re-established their educational partnership with the Family Nutrition Program in the Unit. As a result, 36 children ages 2-5 have been introduced to numerous food groups from My Pyramid.
Paxton Day Care continues their educational partnership with the Family Nutrition Program in the Unit. As a result,
32 children ages 2-5 have been introduced to basic nutrition facts through My Pyramid including whole grain popcorn and pumpkin as a vegetable.
Forty-one walkers from Ford and Iroquois Counties logged an amazing 8,003.47 miles last summer in answer to the
3rd annual Walk Around Ford and Iroquois County Challenge. This figure represented slightly more than six times around the entire state of Illinois, which is 1,321 miles.
116 Home and Community Education (HCE) members enhanced their family life with lessons on scams, investments for retirement, fiber / whole grains in the diet, forgiveness, healthy snacks, Alzheimer's awareness, family reunion planning ideas, annuals in the garden, and groundcovers for the yard.
Monthly newsletters were provided free of charge to 6 Share Food sites, 6 Food Pantries, along with 2,500 age
appropriate fact sheets, newsletters, and other resources for parents, classroom teachers, agencies, and senior citizens.
