Success Stories and Kudos
At the heart of every great nutrition program is a success story. Enjoy our collection of stories and kudos from program participants highlighting how Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) nutrition educators and farmers’ market employees contributed to participants’ success in learning to eat healthy and get active.
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- FMNP intern at the Auburn Farmers’ Market
- The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) is a federal program that helps low-income families and seniors purchase fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. In New York State, Cornell Cooperative Extension provides outreach to help participants of the WIC program and low-income seniors select, store, and prepare fresh produce from farmers’ markets.
- EFNEP success story in Westchester County
- Video: Shout out from the Wellsville Salvation Army assistant director to Stacey Hyde, EFNEP educator.
- Cooking, planning, shopping, and eating together has been shown to increase a child’s willingness to try new foods which can increase the variety of foods consumed, leading to a more healthful lifestyle and diet.
- “Now my children are aware and willing to make changes. “What we learned here is a skill for life, it’s been life changing for me plus I made a friend and now we can share our experiences and challenges together.”
- “After learning about MyPlate in one of your lessons, my students began to look at their lunches every day to make sure they were getting foods from each food group. After your physical activity lesson, my students have been working hard to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day and have shared what they are doing in class”
- “JG went with his father to Sam’s Club as he usually does on the weekends to help his father food shop for the family. His dad got him a big soda like he usually does with a pretzel. JG told his father he didn’t want to drink the soda and instead wanted a bottle of water. His dad asked why, since he always liked to drink soda there with his pretzel. JG explain to his dad that at summer camp, a nutrition teacher showed him how to measure sugar in the sugary drinks, and he explained to his dad that soda has too much sugar and too much sugar is not good for the body. So, his dad said okay and got him a bottle of water!”
- Video: Sonia, Nassau County Farmer’s Market Participant
- “…listening to the sugar contents in the sodas, the Koolaids… that changed my outlook on everything, and how I buy things. Even going out to a restaurant- we all… order water with lemon because I just know what’s in it [soda] now.”
- “I go for a walk almost every night of the week and am trying to eat more meals together as a family.”
- “I used to serve my kids up servings that were way too big… Now I let them serve themselves… They are happier at the table and seem to know when they are full.”
- “When I gave the children options of what they can have, instead of telling them what they can’t have, the house was peaceful and the kids were very pleased with their decision they had made.”
- “You’ve got to give them two healthy choices…like an apple or an orange. …whichever choice they make, it’s still a positive one”. –HCHF Program Participant
- “…you get such a positive turnaround… In fact I told my daughter, ‘I’m really proud of how you’ve been keeping your room tidy.’ Before I had to [say], ‘Put away your books.’ It was more like a complaint, now it’s like a compliment.”