Adults & Teens SNAP into Healthy Living

Published: 2022
By Brenda Richey

“Are there any other programs you could do with us?” This question was posed by the CSKT Site Manager for the Morning Star Apartments, a long-term transitional living center. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) education classes were the immediate answer. However, it was soon discovered that the studio-styled apartments only came with a small kitchen sink, mini refrigerator, and microwave. How could MSU Extension teach adults how to cook…when they don’t possess the tools to cook? At the same time, local food banks/high schools began reaching out for assistance in engaging teens in school and at foodbank programs. Why was this community connection important? The answer: many high schoolers are responsible for providing food for their families. Unfortunately, youth were only interested in ready-to-serve food. After talking with the youth and their counselors, we discovered the teens didn’t have recipe knowledge, hands-on skills, or cooking equipment. Therefore, students were only interested in receiving food…ready to eat. Thus began a collaboration between FREO, SNAP, No Kid Hungry, Arlee CDC, Tribal Housing, and five reservation high schools. Together, a new in-school program began. This included nine in-person SNAP lessons, free kitchen tools, and if a participant completed six of the nine lessons, they received a brand-new Instant Pot pressure cooker. In this reporting year, approximately 25 adults and 80 high school juniors/seniors completed this new MSU Extension collaboration with firsthand cooking experience, recipes, and tools to replicate what they had learned.