By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 28 February 2023 at 1:08 pm
Sarah Martin (left), SNAP nutritionist, and Marie Gabalski, vitamin program coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension, clown round throughout a break within the first sequence of Stone Soup.
KNOWLESVILLE – A brand new program funded by a Highmark grant of $250,000 is educating households with restricted incomes tips on how to eat wholesome on a funds.
The grant was an thought developed at Neighborhood Motion of Orleans & Genesee with help from Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Known as Stone Soup, the primary six-week courses at Cornell Cooperative Extension on the fairgrounds simply ended with 21 graduates, stated Cooperative Extension vitamin coordinator Marie Gabalski.
Every week, contributors within the courses discovered one thing totally different, similar to meals teams, fiber, fat and carbs, tips on how to learn meals labels, vegetables and fruit and tips on how to store affordably, Gabalski stated.
“We attempt to make it enjoyable,” she stated. “Twenty-six folks registered for the primary sequence of courses and 21 graduated. Lessons for March and Might are already full.”
Individuals who attended all six courses and commencement obtained a kitchen equipment which included a skillet, utensils, scorching plate and an Instapot.
Many constructive feedback have been obtained on the courses. One woman stated, “I loved studying tips on how to pair wholesome components right into a meal and figuring out what and the way to decide on.”
One other commented, “What was essential to me was being talked to and never ‘at.’The data was straightforward to know.”
Yet one more stated she loved studying about vitamin and wholesome choices. “I didn’t know the distinction in varieties of fats earlier than,” she stated.
Throughout July, the nutritionists are planning an analogous program with faculty youngsters. Registration for Might courses is being prioritized for many who attend the meal program at Neighborhood Motion’s heart in Holley. Others shall be positioned on a ready checklist for the Stone Soup program within the fall.
Whereas Stone Soup was developed with low-income households in thoughts, there isn’t a revenue requirement and anybody who needs to enroll might contact Gabalski at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, (585) 798-4265.
Marie Gabalski, vitamin coordinator at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, fingers out certificates of completion to Rosemary Fisher and Beth Williams.
Members of the primary graduating class of Stone Soup at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension get their free items, together with an Instapot, scorching plate and utensils. Marie Gabalski, Cooperative Extension nutritionist, left, fingers out kits to Jane Learn, Janine Parker, proper, and Alicia Dingman, rear.