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- PANDEMIC RESPONSE: LSU AgCenter Agents Teach Nutrition Through Snacks
Elizabeth Martin, Camel, Leona
Elizabeth Martin and Leona Camel-Clinton
LSU AgCenter agents with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) led a surprise “Snack Pack Cooking Class” for students at North Highlands Elementary School and Oak Park Microsociety Elementary School in Shreveport, Louisiana, in April and May of 2021.
The AgCenter agents provided each student with a box of ingredients, a paper cookbook with recipes and handouts, and a paper chef’s hat. Students prepared turkey ranch wraps, which served as the after-school snack, and an under-the-sea snack mix, which the students took home.
The classes allowed for a hands-on, interactive experience, while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. The students had to identify each food’s category using the MyPlate guideline for nutrition. Of the 52 students, 50 reported that they tried a new vegetable because of the class.
These two schools have participated in EFNEP nutrition lessons during after-school activities during this past school year hosted by the Fully Devoted Developers of Children (FDDOC) Winners’ Circle, a nonprofit group in Shreveport that partners with the AgCenter. This group provided funds for the classes and purchased picnic tables for the two schools.
Elizabeth Martin is an assistant extension agent and Leona Camel-Clinton is a nutrition educator in Caddo Parish.
(This article appears in the summer 2021 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.)
Students in the Snack Pack Cooking Class learned to use the MyPlate guidelines to choose a variety of foods for their diets.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture