C2—Lancaster Farmim
Nutrition aides shown during an in-service conference at the Farm and Home Nutrition Assistant with the Lancaster County
Center are from left: Stella Selby; Dot Kreider; Brenda Engle: Jan Escott, 4-H and Ellie Derry. Bernice Wright was absent.
EFNEP feeds city youth nutrition information
By SUSAN KAUFFMAN
Staff Correspondent
While to many people the term “4-H” means programs
sponsored with the rural youth in mind, each Summer
hundreds of young people from the city and surrounding
areas work together with local teen leaders and
homemaker leaders in the Expanded Foods and Nutrition
Education Program (EFNEP) in what is called a weekly
4-H cooking club.
Boys and girls from the ages of eight to eighteen gather
in various places throughout the city of Lancaster and
surrounding municipalities to learn basic cooking
procedures, good nutrition and cooperation with others. I
spoke with Jan Escott, 4-H Nutrition Assistant at the
Lancaster County Extension Service, to fmd out how the
program operates.
Jan has worked with the Lancaster County program for
four years. She explained that the 4-H cooking clubs are
funded by the Federal Government and administered in
the various states through the land grant colleges. Penn
State publishes the materials and makes up the programs
for the state. The materials and objectives all work
toward educating low income families which Jan pre
fers to call unreached audiences especially in the city
and suburban environment.
One primary objective of EFNEP as explained by the
Lancaster director is promoting nutrition awareness.
“We try to teach the effect that food has on the
children,” Jan began. “We explain the connection bet
ween what children eat and how there bodies work. The
four food groups are taught and we work on promoting
healthful snacks. We know we can’t change eating habits
overnight, but if we give them a little bit of knowledge
then they can learn to choose more wisely as they grow
older,” she said.
Barker this Summer a plea went out to local
organizations throughout the county for funds to purchase
fresh fruits and vegetables to be used in the thirty clubs
sponsored by the EFNEP project in Lancaster County. At
one tune, the program used government suppked
products such as peanut butter, cheese and other milk
products. Now, however, the emphasis is placed upon
acquainting the youngsters with a variety of foods readily
available in local stores. It is hoped that the club members
will try the foods at home once they have prepared them
in the clubs.
The EFNEP 4-H program also hopes to encourage
development of leadership within the club members and
community homemakers who help as volunteer leaders.
Nutrition aides who are salaried leaders receive training
from the Extension office and act as organizational
leaders throughout the community. They find people
interested in serving as leaders and also lead many of the
thirty dubs as well.
A real asset to the program as Jan has experienced it is
the use of teen leaders. “These teen leaders are often
daughters of homemakers who have volunteered to hold
meetings or help as leaders. They are very effective as
leaders because when the other club members see
someone close to their age telling them about the food
being prepared, it is much more meaningful to them,”
Jan explained.
Most groups have less than twenty-five members. When
there are more than eight to ten children to a club there is
usually more than one leader present. Two groups have
nearly thirty members, but most are smaller in number.
In all there are over 600 youngsters enrolled this Summer
in the program. Eight nutrition aides and thirty volunteer
leaders work with the program presently, Jan said.
At each meeting, whether held m a private home, in an
agency resource building, such as the Girls Club or the
Salvation Army Day Camp, or on a playground, the same
August 16,1980
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A group of 4-H members is shown at the Farnum
Street playground club meeting conducted by
“hands on” teaching techniques are encouraged. “We
would like to have each child get involved,” Jan ex
plained. “We give them the opportunity to help make the
food dish for that meeting and to taste the results. We also
try to reinforce the nutritional aspects by using nutritional
games,” she added.
Usually there is a printed handout for each meeting
which mcludes basic nutrition information, a recipe or
two to try and an activity such as a game or puzzle.
Several nutrition education games promoted by the
Extension use pictures of foods cut from newspapers and
magazines. Other games include actual food items while
still other games use posters or cards with printed in
formation on them. Action games such as relays and a
version of musical chairs are popular games among
active youth.
The recipes used in the clubs are tested to be sure they
will be successful, Jan said. The ingredients are kept
simple and easy steps in preparation are the rule. Foods
which are both tasty and nutritious are used. Examples of
such recipes are Orange Julius and peanut butter kisses.
ORANGE JULIUS
Vs cup frozen orange juice
Vs cup milk
Vs cup water
V «cup sugar
Vs teaspoon vanilla
6 to 12 ice cubes (crushed if possible)
into a jar or container with a lid.
Place lid on jar and shake until all ingredients are well
mixed.
PEANUT BUTTER KISSES
Vs cup corn syrup
% cup peanut butter
Vs cup nonfat dry milk solids
Vs cup confectioner’s sugar
Mix corn syrup and peanut butter.
faded hods and Nutrition Education Pn
Put all ingredients
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Karen Mellinger. The food dish prepared for this
particular meeting was tossed salad.
Gradually stir in dry milk and sugar. Shape into a %
inch roll. Chill and cut. Makes 10 pieces.
Hoping to encourage a feeling of belonging to a larger
group including all the 4-H clubs in the EFNEP program,
Jan’s staff has attempted for the first time this year to
hold a round-up type convention. The clubs were all in
vited to participate in the “4-H Convention” held Thur
sday at the Gril’s Services Auditorium, Rockland Street,
Lancaster. Members and clubs exhibited nutrition posters
at the round-up. The Lancaster County Dairy Princess
presented her milk promotion skit. Games and singing
entertained the members Pensupreme donated ice
cream for the refreshments and screen printed T-shirts
were given to each child who attended. The T-shirts were
donated by local clothing makers and were screen printed
with an EFNEP log which includes the words “Eat right,
feel great, Lancaster 4-H.”
After the Summer 4-H program is concluded, the Winter
schedule begins for the EFNEP staff. Many city agencies
such as the Salvation Army, the Spanish' Center and the
Boys and Girls Clubs include on-going sessions from the
EFNEP in their year round programs. Jan said she also
works with the public school system during the school
year presenting a variety of projects with nutrition
education as basic goals.
One m-school project which has been very successful is
project RAT. For a number of weeks, two different diets
are fed to rats to see if there is a resulting effective
growth. The rats fed well-balanced diets thrive, while
those fed diets consisting of sugars and starches only
failed to grow.
By studying about the basic food groups, by making
dishes which can be duplicated in the child’s home and by
playing nutrition games, many young people are learning
about food and its connection with their health and how
they feel through the EFNEP projects.
Extension
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