EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) is a free nutrition education program offered in several counties in Ohio for low-income adults with children and youth. Program assistants use interactive discussions and hands-on activities to guide participants through a series of meetings aimed at improving the total family diet and nutritional well-being.

The adult program teaches low-income adults with children how to make healthier food choices, manage their food resources, improve their food safety practices, and provides ideas on how to get active with their families.

The youth program teaches kids about nutrition, food preparation, food safety, and physical activity during a six-week, interactive program in classrooms, after-school programs/camps, and summer feeding sites.

EFNEP is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program operates through Extension offices at land-grant institutions in every state and in the six U.S. territories. In Ohio, EFNEP is administered by Ohio State University Extension.

While OSU Extension in Tuscarawas County does not have local EFNEP program staff who offer county-level services, you can learn more about EFNEP at http://fcs.osu.edu/nutrition/efnep and http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/food/efnep/about.html.