STATE AWARDS GRANT TO HEALTY EATING INITIATIVE

An initiative to provide nutrition education to low-income families in Cape Girardeau County has been funded by the state.

The Missouri Department of Health awarded a $54,346 grant to the Community Caring Council to implement the Healthy Children Nutrition Education Initiative here.

"The main goal of the initiative is to increase the likelihood of healthful eating choices by food stamp-eligible families with children," said Chrissy Warren, program director for Caring Communities, which is helping plan the initiative.

Nutrition is a public health concern since obesity and poor eating habits can lead to long-term health problems, she said.

The initiative is trying to reach children when their eating habits can still be influenced toward more healthful choices, Warren said.

Activities aimed at children that will be funded with the grant include nutrition education programs at Blanchard and Jefferson schools and during the East Missouri Action Agency's Summer Food Program.

"They are already teaching nutrition in the schools," Warren said, "But this will allow teachers at those schools $100 in free instructional materials."

The curriculum for the summer program hasn't been selected yet, Warren said. "It will have to be something fun that the kids will want to do," she said.

There also will be activities aimed at parents, since most of these children are eating what their parents prepare, Warren said. Parent education will be offered during meetings for parents of EMAA's Head Start students, at Caring Communities' Family Fun Nights and at a Supermarket Festival that will be held at Sav-A-Lot next spring.

All those activities will include taste tests comparing high-fat foods to their lower-fat counterparts, tips on making healthy food choices and preparing healthful fare, where to get healthier foods and price comparisons, Warren said.

She said there are misconceptions that healthy food is more expensive, more difficult to prepare and doesn't taste as good as high-fat items. The education programs aimed at parents will address those concerns.

The programs will be directed by a Community Nutrition Education Consortium, which will include representatives from health and children's services agencies.