I find I am eating healthy and feeling better. – SNAP-Ed participant

THE CHALLENGEIn the United States, more than 29 million children and adults live in communities where a healthy diet is simply out of reach. Lack of access to nutritious, affordable foods, coupled with a lack of information on how to make healthier decisions, is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes and other diet-related diseases.

In Pennsylvania alone, almost 40 percent of children are overweight or obese, and only 15 percent of adults eat the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. This epidemic threatens to make today’s children the first generation in history with a shorter lifespan than their parents.

We can change that.

THE SOLUTIONThrough a community-based approach to nutrition education and healthy food environments, The Food Trust’s PEACH (People Eating and Cooking Healthy) program works to improve food access and teach lifelong skills in lower- income communities, empowering SNAP-eligible individuals, families, schools and communities to live a healthy life.

Our nutrition education team promotes healthy eating and physical activity by:

• Educating youth on making healthy food choices• Introducing youth to a variety of healthy foods• Showing parents how to buy and prepare healthy,

affordable foods• Introducing nutritious ingredients through taste tests

and cooking demonstrations• Providing tips on how to stretch a tight food budget• Teaching nutrition and cooking workshops to adults

and families• Encouraging exercise and healthy decision-making

OUR SITES

Free PEACH programming is offered at over 400 sites across southeastern Pennsylvania, including:

• Churches• Community sites• Corner stores• Farmers’ markets• Food pantries• Health and wellness centers• Libraries• Schools• YMCAs

WHERE WE WORK

Making connections to students’ lives through food makes learning more relevant and important. – SNAP-Ed participant

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• Allentown• Bethlehem• Chester• Philadelphia• Lansdowne• Norristown

The cooking classes helped me to makebetter decisions.– SNAP-Ed participant

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PEACH BY THE NUMBERS

HOW THE FOOD TRUST CAN HELPThe Food Trust’s PEACH nutrition education program works in schools and communities to teach children and families how to make healthy decisions. Our program options include:

• Classroom lessons for preschoolers through 12th-graders• Youth lessons designed for out-of-school-time settings• Cooking lessons with nutrition education discussions for adults

in community centers, faith-based institutions and retail settings• Healthy food taste tests• Nutrition resources for teachers and community coordinators• Teacher and student nutrition materials including story books,

activity books, pencils, etc.• Nutrition assembly programs• Parent tables and family cooking workshops

WHAT IS SNAP-ED?

SNAP-Ed is the nutrition education component of the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP-Ed programs educate families and youth on making healthy food choices and choosing active lifestyles.

The goal of SNAP-Ed is to improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP will make healthy choices within a limited budget and choose active lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate.

People Eating And Cooking HealthyGrowing Healthy Communities

Reaching SNAP Participants:

OVER 50,000 individuals provided with nutrition education

OVER 1.3 MILLION lessons taught to low-income adults, families and children

OVER 1.8 MILLION people participated in SNAP in Pennsylvania in 2014

Changing Habits:

98% of caregivers said they will change the way they eat, cook or shop for food

52% of shoppers at farmers’ markets reported they would eat more fruits and vegetables

90% of fourth-graders made food with their family after a four-week series

A HISTORY OF SUCCESSThe Food Trust’s nutrition education program started in 1992 at Reading Terminal market in Philadelphia. Using the Market as a learning lab, students became engaged in where their food came from and learned to distinguish between healthy and less healthy foods.

When the agency’s first farmers’ market opened in 1993, nutrition education was a key feature of the market, guiding people to buy and prepare fruits and vegetables in healthy ways. These farmers’ markets featured nutrition education for youngsters on their way home from school and for adults shopping at the markets.

Combining food access and nutrition education became a hallmark of The Food Trust’s programming. A study published in Pediatrics found that a comprehensive approach to school programming reduced the incidence of childhood obesity by 50 percent.

Through the years, the PEACH program has grown throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and currently is offered in over 300 school and community sites. Our educational programming accommodates learning styles of youth and adults and uses experiential methods to ensure all sessions are engaging and the learner is eager to participate.

The Food Trust’s nutrition education program is part of the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education TRACKS Program funded by the USDA through SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–Education).

To find out more about The Food Trust’s approach to nutrition education, visit www.thefoodtrust.org.

Funded by the Pennsylvania (PA) Department of Human Services (DHS) through PA Nutrition Education Tracks, a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP provides nutrition assistance to people with low in-

come. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more, contact the DHS toll-free Helpline at 800-692-7462. The USDA prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin,

age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal and, where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or if all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information

in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_fil-

ing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office

of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities and wish to file either an EEO or program complaint please

contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish). Persons with disabilities who wish to file a program complaint, please see information above on how to contact us by mail directly or by email. If you require alternative means

of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Photographs by Bruce Schimmel and Albert Yee. Copyright The Food Trust 2015

THE FOOD TRUSTEnsuring That Everyone Has Access to Affordable, Nutritious Food

1617 John F. Kennedy Blvd. • One Penn Center, Suite 900 • Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 575-0444 • Fax: (215) 575-0466 • contact@thefoodtrust.org

I find I am eating healthy and feeling better. – SNAP-Ed participant

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Combining food access and nutrition education became a hallmark of The Food Trust’s programming.