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Grant Winners 
2009 NYSNC Minigrant WinnerA needs assessment survey was completed by adults in Oneonta and surrounding communities. The survey results indicated that the participants in the survey had concerns regarding their health, disease states and increased risks of developing disease. The majority indicated that they would take advantage of a program that incorporated nutrition and exercise to improve their health. The survey also indicated that the cost of the program could be an issue and most needed partial to full insurance reimbursement or a low cost program for them to consider membership. Program Mission: The Mission of the Nutrition and Exercise Training Program is to provide client-centered nutrition and exercise-related education and support to meet the wellness needs to the adult population of Oneonta and the surrounding communities in a friendly, relaxed, and caring environment. Initial Goals: 1. Develop a community-based nutrition and exercise training program which fits the needs and preferences of the community to promote health and disease management/prevention. 2. Market community-based nutrition and exercise training program to the target population of Oneonta and surrounding communities. 3. Offer the program at an affordable cost to promote initial membership and continued attendance to the program. In response to the survey, we set up a very flexible program that included complete initial assessments with an registered dietitian and exercise specialist at our fitness center. Follow ups are then available for either nutrition or exercise consult. The frequency of the follow up visits were based on individual care plan and participant preference. Our philosopy is gradual, realistic lifestyle changes. The NYSNC grant assisted us in meeting our initial goals. The funds allowed us to have a professional, eye-catching brochure created and printed. This brochure was used in marketing the N.E.T.Links Program initially in 2009. This brochure will continue to used in our physician’s offices and in the community to market the program. The grant funds allowed us to make the program affordable by providing partial or full scholarships for participants with financial need. Six full scholarships and nine partial scholarships were provided from grant funds. Submitted by Becky Drake, MS, RD, CDE, CDN 2008 The New York State Nutrition Council Special project funds for 2008 were awarded to the Central New York Refugee Nutrition Education Program. The project was conducted by Dina Lawson, Graduate Student in Nutrition Science, College of Human Ecology, Syracuse University. Her collaborators on the project were Tanya Horacek PhD, RD, associate professor, Syracuse University and the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Organization of Central New York (CNY) in Syracuse. The project was designed to provide nutrition education to refugees who were being assisted by the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Organization of CNY. During 2008 the organization assisted to resettle 400 refugees, including children. These refugees have come from many different countries and are often unfamiliar with foods that are available in their new home. In particular, the project was intended to encourage the consumption of available fruits and vegetables as well as to promote the purchase of local fresh produce at farmer's markets. The refugee nutrition education program proved to be successful with approximately 95 adults participating in the nutrition classes and food demonstrations. At these classes, 100% of the participants tasted the food items offered. Interviews were conducted after each session to determine the level of understanding and acceptance of fruits and vegetables. The participants had indicated that they were familiar with some common foods. but had never tasted some of the items offered. While not every item was well received, the response to many of the fruits and vegetables was very positive. The participants indicated that they would buy these foods if they were affordable. Interpreters were present at the nutrition education classes and food demonstrations to translate teaching on nutrition, food safety, hand washing, cooking with fresh foods, the importance of family meals and exercise. Questions posed by the participants were immediately answered by the interpreters. Nutrition education booklets in various languages were developed and distributed to social workers and life skills coordinators. Other nutrition education materials that were developed as part of this project will also be used to provide education to newly arriving refugee families. A volunteer coordinator, under the direction of Dr. Horacek, can arrange for nutrition student volunteers to conduct future food demonstrations at the at the refugee center. These measures will serve to sustain the goals of the project as new refugee families receive assistance by the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Organization of Central New York (CNY) in Syracuse. 2007 Wellness Works, a project created by West Carthage Elementary School. Two projects were aided by the grant monies. "Sneaks n Treats" and "Just Try it". Just Try It was a program to introduce vegetables and fruits into the lunch line. Once a month for 6 months, small samples were put in the line in sample cups and students encouraged to just try them. A flyer was sent home a few days ahead of time to prepare the students. Announcements were used the day of the sampling to remind the students. Our student body at the time was in the 450 range. Food service personnel figures we served lunch to about 400 per day. 
January - ClementinesFebruary - Cherry Tomatoes March - Cucumbers April - Broccoli and Cauliflower May - Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples June - Cantaloupe Estimated numbers of samplers taken was 75% on the average, which is approximately 300 children. Cost of vegetables and fruit = $161.50 -Food service personnel gave of their own time to prepare samples. Sneaks n Treats was in its second year of operation in 2007. It is a Family Wellness project that ran from mid January to end of March. Generally speaking, it operated for 2 nights a week for 2 hours. The main emphasis was to provide physical activities, nutritious snacks and education. 
The grant was used to help supplement donated snack items each night. Snack cost = $345.96.
In the grant, there was money budgeted for printing, PR, management. We did not need to use grant money for these items. Instead we used $130 for staff t-shirts as our numbers kept increasing and the need for visible supervision was crucial.
The original budget I believe included materials to enhance nutritional knowledge. We purchased from Everlast Climbing Industries a nutritional kit to use with the traversing wall in our gym. The cost of this was = $141.90
Our food service director also used $52.35 to prepare a healthy snack for visiting pre-school children when they visited our school.
The Sneaks n' Treats program has reached the over 5000 people who have attended our program in the last 2 years. We have averaged over 145 people attending 35 nights in the last 2 years.
Thank you for you incredible support for schools and a healthy lifestyle!
Marty Weaver
2006
Parent/Child Get Fit and Grow Your Own Food
With the funds, the Holy Cross Head Start in Buffalo put a salsa gardens in their four of their full-year classrooms. Each of the classrooms incorporated a variety of garden-related activities into their curriculum. All of the classrooms received copies of stories about planting and food to supplement the salsa garden activities.In addition, Holy Cross involved the students’ parents in the project. They held a parent/child day, where the parents and the children made salsa gardens together to take home. At this event, the families received information about gardening and nutrition. Head Start teamed up with Food For All, an advocacy organization, to provide information to the parents on using Food Stamps to buy seeds and seedlings and to do cooking demonstrations using the vegetables grown in the salsa gardens. For the parents that weren’t able to make the educational event, Head Start sent flyers home on container gardening and recipes using fresh fruits and vegetables. As of result of the project, many families learned that they could use food stamps (EBT) to buy seeds and seedlings. These families are looking forward to growing more food next year. 2005 “Nutrition Detective – Cookshop Enhancement Program” Tanya M. Horacek, PhD, RD, and Julita Klopocka-Niemiec, graduate student, Syracuse University, College of Human Services and Health Professions, Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management The premise of the Nutrition Detective Program is to add a new component to the existing, behaviorally focused, Cookshop classes conducted in four Syracuse elementary schools. It is designed to enhance children’s analytical skills through a series of 10 investigative sessions contributing to the achievement of the following goals:
Sandeep Davuluri, graduate student, Syracuse University “Lion’s Camp Hickory held a diabetes camp for children with type 1 diabetes last summer. As a volunteer nutrition educator, it was clear that the camp needed funding for materials to aid in the nutrition education for youth ages 8-12 for nutrition games, activities for preparing healthy meals and food models to better understand serving sizes…” The goals are to increase their knowledge and understanding about carbohydrates, fats, protein, carbohydrate exchanges, how to choose food wisely, and how to increase intake of fruits and vegetables and increase physical activity. It is a collaboration of Syracuse University and Lion’s Camp Hickory. Educational games will be developed in the spring and pilot-tested. The activities and evaluation will occur in the summer.2004 "Busy Bodies" Busy Bodies is a pre-school program for 3-5 year olds in a structured educational setting. The purpose and objectives are to encourage change in a current sedentary lifestyles and develop a taste for natural, healthy foods for snacks and meals. Through storytelling with puppets, children will discover pleasurable ways to try new foods. The Busy Bodies program uses hands-on activity, along with song and play to promote more physical movement for every child. Our role model is "Buddy Bee," the program mascot who whears sneakers and a pedometer. Buddy Bee has fun playing with his friends in games, play, songs, and dance. Highlights and Accomplishments: Puppet Shows Movin' with the Bee Parent Involvement In Summary: Successes - Of the four stories in the shows, our children said their favorite story was the "Very Hungry Caterpillar." This is a story of the tranistion of a tiny caterpillar who grows into a beautiful butterfly. Props of realistic looking rubber food models were used along with sounds of food being eaten and counting the numbers of foods as the little butterfly "wannabe" ate and grew up to be beautiful. This showed that healthy eating not only takes away hunger, but also contributes to a healthy appearance. In the gym, the fun-filled "Grocery Olympics" had the children pretending to go food shopping, going through hurdles, obstacles, using their body skills to get their groceries home. Many times, the children in the class wanted to go "one more time!" Evaluation: 198 children 11 classrooms 44 puppet shows 132 physical movement classes Total staff project delivery time: 130 hrs Testimonials: "Research continues to support the importance of working with children from a very early age, teaching them about making healthy food choices, exercising their bodies daily and using proper hygiene. The stories that were chosen as well as the puppet show format, dealing with nutrition and food, have mesmerized the children; and the inclusion of Buddy Bee exercising with the children heightened their excitement level. They look forward to each visit." Headstart Director 2003 "Guardino Elementary Children's Garden" The Nutrition Council’s generous grant of $750.00 allowed Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County to enhance a Community Garden in the town of Clayton and expanding it to include a project with the local elementary school. Three hundred twenty students in grades 2, 3, 5 and 6 at Guardino Elementary School received hands-on lessons about plants, soil, fruits and vegetables and nutrition. The number of garden beds was expanded so that the students could be involved. Lumber was purchased to frame distinct rectangular beds. Topsoil was added to the beds to improve the fertility. Seeds were purchased along with mini-greenhouse for starting the seeds indoors in the month of April. Other starter plants were also grown by another group of gardeners and the kids got to put these transplants into the ground also. Strawberries plants were planted on the perimeter of garden. Strawberries are perennial plants that will bloom year after year and are easy fruits to grow in this climate. Fifth grade teacher, Debbie Dermady, spearheaded the organization of the different classroom teachers to get as many children as possible involved in the gardening project. Her enthusiasm and energy helped to make the project work. Odette Butler at Cornell Cooperative Extension began the program with a pep rally where students learned how seeds grow, how to use tools in the garden, and why eating vegetables is important for one’s health. She made the children pledge to taste all of the different vegetables that were harvested. Due to the natural cycles of a garden, the children missed the harvest of certain vegetables over the summer months but volunteers tended the gardens so that the kids could come back in the fall to harvest pumpkins and squash. Many of the summer vegetables were donated to local food banks. Materials for beginning a school garden at the Ohio Street School in Watertown were also purchased. This garden is still under construction and Rosalind Cook at Cornell Cooperative Extension is communicating with the school principal about dates to begin a garden program in 2004. This garden project will attempt to emulate the success of the Guardino school program. There were several measurable results of this project including the number of children who were exposed to the different learning modules on plant science, the importance of plants in the diet, and the necessary work and rewards of caring for vegetables and fruits. The children all recognized more vegetables at the end of the season. They were more interested in sampling them because they had pride of ownership over these particular vegetables. Submitted by Rosalind Cook for Odette Butler |
