Marion County families eligible for food stamps can win as much as $100 in free groceries in a food makeover contest. Applications are due Friday, though, so move fast.
The contest, created by Oregon State Extension and College of Health and Human Sciences faculty members, will pair the winner with a nutritional expert who can give advice about grocery planning and food preparation. A video crew will then follow both on the grocery store spree.
Anne Hoisington, who works primarily on issues relating to the low-income population and nutrition, was part of a team led by Extension’s Lauren Tobey that created the contest when they learned that more than 80 percent of food stamp recipients wanted more nutritional meals. The Food Hero video will be an online lesson on how to stretch food dollars further so that more vegetables and fruits can be worked into diets. Check out today’s Statesman Journal article for more information on the program.
Hoisington is also the creator of the ‘Healthy Recipes’ database on the Extension Web site, which gives food bank recipients (and everyone else) tips on how to cook foods they may not be familiar with. She’s also created the ‘Eat Well for Less’ site through Extension, which gives plenty of great tips on how to stretch food dollars and still make sure you can get nourishing foods.
*Photo courtesy of Sandy Austin, via Flickr.
Thanks for the information. You did a good job communicating your message. Keep up the good work.