We are pleased to present a new 2008 Food Stamp Office Resource Kit that provides fresh materials to support healthy eating and physical activity. The first Food Stamp Office Resource Kit was a great success with more than 300 kits distributed to California Food Stamp Offices in 2006-2007. As a result, we have developed a kit that contains new materials to engage food stamp recipients and applicants. The 2008 kit comes with a couple new features: a video in DVD-only format with closed captioning and new recipe card sizes that fit sturdier displays. The kit continues to focus on educating food stamp recipients and applicants about the choices that lead to good nutrition and healthy behavior. Please use this kit to share the many low-cost food purchasing and food preparation tips with your food stamp recipients and applicants. The new 2008 Food Stamp Office Resource Kit contains the following components:

The development of this kit was a collaboration of the California Department of Public Health’s Network for a Healthy California; the California Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC); the University of California Davis’ Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (UC-FSNEP); the California Department of Social Services’ Food Stamp Program; the Western Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service; and valued input from members of the Food Stamp Committee of the California Welfare Directors Association. Additionally, input from food stamp recipients was provided during focus group sessions conducted in Oakland and Los Angeles.

To find out about other Food Stamp Nutrition Education programs that may be available in your county, visit our Web site for partners, www.networkforahealthycalifornia.net.

Background

Obesity and type 2 diabetes continue to increase among California children and adults. These and other chronic diseases associated with poor nutrition are disproportionately higher among low-income families. The Network for a Healthy California aims to reduce serious chronic diseases among low-income families with a variety of approaches as part of Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE). The Food Stamp Office Resource Kit brings nutrition education into all food stamp offices to provide clients with practical demonstrations, tips and recipes that will help them purchase and prepare low-cost nutritious meals and snacks for themselves and their families. This information, combined with the increased food purchasing power of food stamps and the myriad of services and community activities provided by other partners, promotes better health among low-income Californians.