SNAP-Ed Works 2023

Montana State University Extension Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education

The Challenge

  • 75% of Montana youth do not participate in enough aerobic activity to meet guidelines
  • 57% of Montana adults do not meet the vegetable intake recommendations
  • 66% of Montana adults are overweight or obese
  • 76% of American Indian adults are overweight or obese
  • 25% of Montana children in grades 9-12 are overweight or obese
  • 1 in 102Montanans face hunger/food insecurity

The SNAP-Ed Solution

  • Teach
    • low-income youth and adults in the locations, online or in-person, that they eat, live, learn, work, play, and shop.
  • Collaborate
    • with community and statewide partners to leverage resources and increase program reach to eligible audiences.
  • Empower
    • organizations and individuals to create changes in policies, systems, and environments that make the healthy choice the easy choice

The Results

Graduates from nutrition classes improved their healthy habits.

  • Adults
    • 44% ate fruit more often
    • 40% ate veggies more often
    • 64% were more physically active
    • 66% improved food safety practices
    • 74% improved food management practices
  • Youth
    • 61% improved physical activity behaviors
    • 57% improved food safety practices
    • 86% made healthier food choices

"As a six-week SNAP-Ed series of nutrition classes was coming to close at a small elementary school in Montana, the teacher stood up and said he'd like to share something with the class. He proceeded to tell everyone that he had been listening to the lessons along with the students and that he had recognized that the information did not just apply to them. He felt that he also needed to make some changes. He excitedly shared that he had cut way back on unhealthy snacks, increased his produce intake, and eliminated sweetened beverages, and as a result lost 30 pounds. He explained that he felt so much better and had much more energy. He hoped that the children would consider this newfound information earnestly."- Nutrition Educator

SNAP-Ed By The Numbers

  • 6.9k visits to buyeatlivebetter website in 2022
  • 36.9k Pinterest post views
  • 3,428 Facebook post views
  • 3,966 Montanans reached with online & in-person nutrition & physical activity classes
    • 116 adults and 2,279 youth graduated from SNAP-Ed programs
  • 46 policy, system, environment, or promotional changes to support health
  • 22,605 Montanans reached by policy, system, environment or promotional changes
  • 224 partnerships with organizations where Montanans eat, live, learn, work, play, and shop

Program Impacts

Youth and adult education continued to be offered online and in-person. SNAP-Ed's work also supported:

    • 11 food bank and garden projects that increased capacity for Montanans to make healthy food choices.
    • 12 farmers' markets partnerships that increased access to and promotion of fruits and vegetables
  • In Northwest Montana SNAP-Ed helped families with young children and low income access locally grown food. SNAP-Ed collaborated with a local organization to implement a project promoting a rainbow of colors of produce in all the area elementary schools' cafeterias. Nutrition education efforts were layered with an environmental approach to offer the produce option first in the lunch line within the lunchrooms across the school district. The strategy is to nudge the healthy choice as the first option, with the intent that the produce item would be selected and consumed more often among the students.
  • On a Reservation in Northern Montana, SNAP-Ed partnered with Master Gardeners to develop a thriving community garden. SNAP-Ed collaborated with Master Gardeners and the community to
    increase access to fresh produce with the expansion of a garden at a local housing development. At first, there was limited help and interest in the garden from the surrounding community. The second year, more people became involved. Now, there is little help needed to get the garden planted and organized. It is now 90% taken care of by the community, with lots of children in and out of the garden. An information hub was built, with fact sheets and recipes stocked at the entrance of the garden for indirect education for the community members.
  • In Central Montana, SNAP-Ed collaborated with Double SNAP Dollars to impact the elderly. SNAP-Ed offered Double SNAP Dollar coupons each week in a series of nutrition classes. A group of elderly friends living in senior housing attended the classes and received these coupons. Many of them had never visited the local Farmer’s Market or hadn’t been in years. These friends began meeting on Saturday mornings to ride the bus and shop together at the market. They were able to stretch their food dollars further and were excited to try new fruits and vegetables from area farmers. The local SNAP-Ed educator was even able to provide short market tours to introduce participants to vendors and different produce items.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

This material was funded by USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-SNAP. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more, contact the Montana Public Assistance Helpline at 1-888-706-1535 or https://www.apply.mt.gov. Montana State University Extension is an ADA/EO/AA/Veteran's Preference Employer and Provider of Educational Outreach.