Food Access Team Impact Reaches Statewide

Mike Shambough-Miller delivers produce to families in need
Mike Shambough-Miller delivers produce to families in need

Nebraska Extension's Food Access Issue Team worked with communities, consumers, producers, and partners to help Nebraskans find, afford, choose and use healthful foods. Directly, the team educated over 24,000 Nebraskans; indirectly, the team reached over 286,000 people through radio, newspaper, and newsletters like this; additionally, the team worked with community councils, coalitions, and gardens that impacted over 45,000 Nebraskans. Choose Healthy Here, Nebraska Extension's healthy food retail program, worked with 20 stores this year, and plans to expand to 8 more in 2018. Cultivating Health Our Way, a donation garden program, grew over 18,000 pounds of fresh produce worth over $23,000 to donate to 24 emergency food access sites. Finally, 224 elementary aged youth participated in the Growing Healthy Habits youth gardening curriculum, and showed a statistically significant increase in their reported fruit and vegetable consumption following the program. While these impacts show incredible advancement of Nebraskans' food access, they only scratch the surface of how the team has had an effect on our neighbors and friends.