Children and adults face hunger and food insecurity in every community across the country. Food insecurity refers to USDA’s measure of an individual or family's lack of access to enough food, or nutritionally adequate food, for all household members to live an active, healthy life. This issue may be temporary or long-term.
Adults and children may face serious health consequences when they are forced to choose between spending money on basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods. Are you dealing with food insecurity? Contact the West Virginia Department of Agriculture Food Distribution Program at (304) 558-0573 to ask about food bank and pantry locations.
For more information, visit the West Virginia Department of Agriculture website.
Nutrition Resources
WVU Extension Family Nutrition Program
The Family Nutrition Program is comprised of numerous nutrition, food and physical activity projects designed to help limited resource families, youths, and adults improve their health. FNP targets risk factors associated with obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases. For more information, visit the WVU Extension Family Nutrition Program website.
FARMacy
FARMacy is a weekly program where doctors “prescribe” fresh, healthy, locally grown foods to food-insecure patients with chronic diet-related diseases.
Doctors identify patients who struggle with food security and whose medial conditions would benefit from dietary changes. Then they provide a “prescription” entitling patients to free weekly bags of fruits and vegetables from pop-up farmers markets held at their doctor’s office or clinic. Farmers are on hand at those markets to talk about produce and FNP nutrition educators provide taste-tests, recipe demonstrations, recipe handouts, opportunities for physical activity and nutrition education classes.
For more information, visit the Farmacy website.
Eating Smart, Being Active
Eating Smart, Being Active is an evidence-based healthy eating and active living curriculum for low-income families. The program is broken into nine lessons, taught by nutrition educators over six to nine weeks in small groups of six to 12 students. Lessons focus on five core areas—diet quality, physical activity, food safety, food security and food resource management. Each class includes instruction, recipe preparation, physical activity, interactive discussion and hands-on activities. Students receive incentives, like food thermometers, measuring spoons and recipes, with each lesson. When they complete the program, students receive graduation certificates and cookbooks.
For more information, visit the Eating Smart, Being Active website.
