Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables SGS DI Program, Jan 2010

Introduction Todays presentation: JSY program history Program highlights New initiatives and expansion plans Keys to success

MISSION The Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables Project, in partnership with organizations that serve the food insecure, is dedicated to improving the health and nutritional status of food stamp eligible populations in New York State. The Project accomplishes this by providing comprehensive nutrition education programs for food stamp populations accessing emergency food relief organizations (EFRO), WIC and Summer Food.

VISION Empowering food stamp recipients/applicants in New York State to make healthier food choices.

History 1996Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables created! nutritionists hired; 1 Contract Manager and Administrative Coordinator

History 2001Statewide expansion of JSY 2002JSY website created 2004Acquired Veggie Van

Map of Food Bank regions

History Significant growth by FFY 06-07: 10 field nutritionists Administrative Coordinator Full-time Contract Manager WIC expansion (NYC)

History In FFY 07-08: 3 Regional Team Leader positions added Addition of JSY Program Research Specialist Statewide WIC expansion Expansion into Summer Food Program (Buffalo)

JSY through the years: Location of classes Then….. Food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters Now…. Food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters WIC Summer Food Low-income public housing

JSY through the years: Nutrition Education Back in the day…… Informal nutrition education; one-on-one education No curriculum Train-the-trainer model using JSY Handbook Now….. Standardized nutrition ed activities; structured groups 9 USDA approved lesson plans Handbook replaced with client-tested cookbook

JSY through the years: Nutrition Education Now (continued)….. Use of learner-centered approach More client interaction Addition of Facilitated Discussion lesson plans (currently piloting in WIC)

JSY through the years: Nutrition education handouts Then... Create-your-own handouts! No standardized handouts Now…. Standardized handouts Meet low literacy criteria Simple, easy-to- understand concepts Provide action messages

JSY through the years: Program Evaluation Then….. Limited program evaluation Now…. Strong evaluation component in place JSY selected as Top 6 Finalist for model SNAP-Ed program across the country!

JSY through the years: Recipes Then……. 60 recipes created using common pantry foods Now… fruit and vegetable recipes Standardized recipe criteria Emphasis on good nutrition Field testing Addition of more cultural fruits and veg

JSY through the years: Team Structure Then….. On your own! Now…. Regional, team-based approach Strong orientation program for new staff Annual staff development training

JSY through the years: Program Structure Then….. JSY Now… Traditional JSY Stellar Farmers Markets RFA

Program Highlights: Traditional JSY Goals for 07-08: Educate 9,100 low-income clients Statewide expansion into WIC Summer Food(WNY)

How did we do????

Program Highlights: Traditional JSY Yearly statistics (FFY07-08): Provided 924 nutrition education sessions across NYS Educated 13,000+ clients Attended 80 low-income community events

Program Highlights: Traditional JSY WIC Expansion Increased WIC collaborations in EVERY Food Bank region across NYS! Educated more than 2,200 WIC clients!

Program Highlights: Traditional JSY Summer Food Pilot Project Highly successful! Better than expected! Clients LOVED programs offered and cant wait for programs to begin this year!

Program Highlights: Traditional JSY JSY Van Utilized the JSY vehicle at 27 low-income community events statewide 2,400+ clients Received PHENOMENAL USDA exposure!

Proud Accomplishment…. 16,000 pounds fresh produce distributed to low-income families

2 New JSY Initiatives…. Stellar Farmers Markets Expansion through Request for Application (RFA)

Stellar Farmers Markets JSY SNAP-ed at farmers markets in all 5 boroughs of NYC Coordinated by NYC DOH and Mental Hygiene

Goal Attract more residents to the markets by offering a variety of health activities at the markets Target locations: South Bronx, East and Central Harlem, North and Central Brooklyn, Jamaica/Queens, Northern Staten Island

Reach Pilot in 8 markets in all NYC boroughs Provide nutrition education and food demonstrations at the markets Seasonal staff will include 4 nutrition consultants and 8 nutrition assistants Sessions will be provided throughout the growing season

JSY RFA Targeted to not-for-profit organizations that have experience working with low income or food stamp clients and have experience in providing nutrition education Examples of potential applicants: hunger relief organizations, agencies sponsoring summer food and community organizations providing other services to food stamp participants

JSY RFA Funding A total of approximately $905,000 is available for awards Range of awards is from $100,000 - $300,000 per contract year Funds provided to applicants are based on the estimated cost per participant, the minimum number of participants the applicant has proposed to reach through direct nutrition education, and the length of the grant.

Challenges…….. Language barriers Literacy barriers Transient populations Unstructured work environments

Resolutions…… Language and literacy barriers: Bilingual nutrition educators Enlist assistance of bilingual site program staff All JSY materials available in English and Spanish Consulted with health literacy experts to develop program materials Field testing with target audience

Resolutions…… Transient populations: Interagency collaborations Increased marketing efforts Consistent scheduling with selected sites

Resolutions…… Unstructured work environments: Shift from pass through food pantries to client choice model has allowed for more JSY teaching time Interagency collaborations

Keys to success….. JSY Best Practices: Pilot testing Collaborate with other experts in the field Staff development training Teamwork

THANK YOU! Danielle Quigley, MS, RD, CDN Public Health Nutritionist 1 NYSDOH, Division of Nutrition Bureau of Nutrition Risk Reduction