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Snap Ed Launch
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Snap Ed launch

SNAP-Ed/ Eat Smart New York Program Launch

Cornell Cooperative Extensions of Suffolk County and Nassau County, along with Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE), hosted the launch of the Long Island’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Eat Smart New York (SNAP-Ed/ESNY) Program at The Farm at St. Joseph, 1725 Brentwood Road, Brentwood, on Wednesday, July 15, 2015.

This event was well attended by elected officials and our community partners. Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about our SNAP-Ed – ESNY program and visited tables with educational information on nutrition, healthy food samples, and physical activity demonstrations.

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Suffolk County will oversee the SNAP-Ed/Eat Smart New YorkObesity Prevention Program through 2019. CCE will serve as the lead agency, working with CCE of Nassau and Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE).

The program will be funded for five years through a $6.5 million grant from the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. The grant is part of $14.7 million in federal funding provided to the state for nutritional education and assistance.

The goal of Eat Smart New York is to improve health and reduce obesity among low income families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or are SNAP eligible.

CCE of Suffolk/Nassau and FREE will bring education to families in targeted schools and communities to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, decrease consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and increase physical activity. Staff will also educate families who are eligible for food assistance but not yet receiving this benefit. A variety of education strategies will be utilized to reach low-income families—including policy and environmental approaches, and social media and marketing.

The USDA reports that more than 2 million New Yorkers, 12% of the state population, do not have enough money to meet their basic nutritional needs. Currently, there are 127,345 food assistance recipients in Suffolk and another 67,200 in Nassau plus a significant number of families who are eligible but do not receive assistance.

The Farm at St. Joseph is an affirmative business of Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) a not for profit agency that supports individuals with intellectual disabilities, mental illness and traumatic brain injury. The Farm at St. Joseph provides an employment opportunity that includes land cultivation, harvesting produce and delivering the produce to the farm’s shareholders.

Last updated July 28, 2015