A new grant awarded to the University of Idaho will aid in the fight to decrease hunger in Idaho, specifically within Hispanic communities.
ConAgra Foods awarded the UI Extension a $47,300 Community Impact Grant, which will be used to address the issue of food insecurity in the Twin Falls and Power counties. The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as the inability to consistently access enough food in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The UI Extension is partnering with other nonprofit organizations in the state, including the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force and Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs in creating and implementing the new project called Eat Smart Idaho.
IHRTF Director Kathy Gardner said that Hispanic families are at a higher risk of facing food insecurity compared to non-Hispanic families. The new program will be aimed at engaging more members from at-risk communities, Gardner said.
“We’re figuring out how we can make the educational curriculum attractive and meaningful to the Latino community,” Gardner said.
She said there will be eight focus groups held where members of the Hispanic community and the nonprofit organizations will discuss how to successfully implement the program. It is critical to collaborate with leaders of the community, she said.
“It’s amazing, the input you get when you allow communities to come together in a trusted place and express themselves,” Gardner said.
The new program will also include a series of classes held in urban and rural communities in the two target counties. The classes will teach people how to eat healthier and how to make better decisions when purchasing food, said Associate Director of UI Extension and project leader Paul McCawley.
The classes are open to residents of all income-levels and backgrounds, but are focused on attracting Hispanic families, and will be designed with certain needs in mind, McCawley said.
“We have to be culturally sensitive as far as food goes,” McCawley said.
UI Extension has been receiving federal aid for their work to end hunger in Idaho for several decades, said McCawley — but federal grants also come with restrictions. The ConAgra Foods grant will fund opportunities that could increase participation in the classes, McCawley said.
He cited child care and transportation as the two biggest obstacles to increasing the involvement of families. With money from the new grant, child care during the classes will be offered, and shuttles will pick up families in need of transportation to the classes, McCawley said.
Rhea Lanting, administrator of the District III Extension Nutrition Program in Twin Falls, said the nutrition advisors who will teach the class are Spanish-speaking. Lanting also said the new classes will be similar to existing classes, but will do more to boost participation of the Hispanic community.
“Hispanic audiences don’t usually participate in group classes that we have, so our goal is to see why they don’t and encourage them to participate,” Lanting said.
Azumi Smith can be reached at [email protected]