2014-2015
Annual Report
The University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural
Resources programs are open to all and will not discriminate
against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual
orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or
national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political
affiliation, or gender identity and expression.
University of Maryland
Extension-Baltimore City
6615 Reisterstown Rd, Suite 201
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-856-1850
http://extension.umd.edu/baltimore-city
UME-Baltimore City Annual Report | 2015
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Message from the Director
Greetings!
University of Maryland Extension (UME)-Baltimore City is a part of a statewide,
educational component of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR),
University of Maryland at College Park and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. It
delivers research-based programs to residents in the areas of 4-H Youth Development,
Nutrition, Financial Education, and Urban Agriculture to help solve problems and
improve lives and communities. UME-Baltimore City continues to deliver research-based
programs in all 14 City Council districts.
In 2014-2015, UME-Baltimore City celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Extension
nationally by hosting an open house, and partnered with Lexington Market, Inc., to inform
and engage city residents in interactive educational learning activities. To view pictures of
the events, click http://extension.umd.edu/baltimore-city. It was a year of celebrating
the rich history of Extension and implementing the strategic focus of where it must go in
order to meet the needs of our growing, diverse and global community.
UME-Baltimore City delivered programs at 184 locations citywide. Sixty-eight of these
locations were communities that were a part of our community development plan and along
the formally proposed Baltimore City Red Line (a 14-mile light rail transit project). UMEBaltimore City provided direct training to community members and volunteers who, in
turn, trained approximately18,000 youth and adults in multiple communities to implement
initiatives in horticulture and food system, the environment, positive youth development,
workforce and business development, financial literacy, Science Technology Engineering
and Math (STEM), and nutrition education. Faculty and staff secured $114,864 in grant and
cost recovery dollars to offer additional support to these existing and new program
initiatives. UME-Baltimore City has formed unique partnerships that fostered an active
engagement of community partners who supported these initiatives and are willing to
commit to match University resources to advance this strategic community development
effort.
UME-Baltimore City partners to provide solutions in your community!
Manami Brown, M.Ed.
City Extension Director
UME-Baltimore City Annual Report | 2015
University of Maryland Extension-Baltimore City
“The University of Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer with Equal Access Program”.
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UME-Baltimore City Annual Report | 2015 3
University of Maryland Extension-Baltimore City
4-H Youth Development
Baltimore City 4-H educational programs provide youth (ages 5-18) with
opportunities to enhance their individual gifts, talents, knowledge and skills in a
safe and healthy environment. In addition to building an array of essential life
skills, youth participants learn to work as part of a team and develop a strong
sense of personal and community responsibility.
Financial Management
This program provides guidance to limited and moderate-income youth and
adults. The program focuses on financial education, economics/finance, rental
eviction prevention education and job preparation training.
Expanded Food & Nutritional Education Program (EFNEP)
EFNEP assists limited income families, pregnant teens and youth by providing
free, interactive and culturally appropriate nutrition workshops. Participants
acquire knowledge and skills in nutrition, all fundamental factors for improving
and maintaining individual and total family health.
Food Supplement Nutrition Education (FSNE)
This program offers nutrition education to help Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) households and those eligible for SNAP. FSNE
programs are provided at no cost to support the work of community agencies
serving SNAP-eligible individuals and families, such as literacy centers, local
food banks, soup kitchens, WIC offices, senior centers, community centers,
neighborhood groups, and homeless shelters.
Urban Agriculture
This program promotes urban greening initiatives through environmentally
friendly horticulture practices designed to help participants contribute to the
development and maintenance of a healthier environment.
“Extension offers trusted research, life-changing
programs, useful information, science-based
solutions and inspiring stories.”
-Stakeholder
UME-Baltimore City Annual Report | 2015
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4-H Youth Development
Baltimore City 4-H educational programs provide youth (ages 5-18) with opportunities to
enhance their individual gifts, talents, knowledge and skills in a safe and healthy
environment. In addition to building an array of essential life skills, youth participants learn
to work as part of a team and develop a strong sense of personal and community
responsibility. Hands-on, interactive 4-H educational programs in the areas of Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), Nutrition, Workforce and College Readiness,
and Service-Learning were delivered to 579 youth in schools during and after school hours,
in after school programs, recreation centers, libraries, community centers, and faith-based
institutions.
Program Highlight: 4-H Teen Corps Leadership Program
Teen Corps began as a citywide collaborative between 4-H members and adult leaders, agencies,
and community stakeholders who partner to strengthen communities, and increase leadership
opportunities for youth from 12 to 18 years old. A core element of the Teen Corps is a monthly
meeting that brings 4-H youth/adult leaders representing several after school programs across
the city together in one location. They receive facilitation training on various youth development
topics, and then demonstrate those skills learned by facilitating the topics and engaging youth and
community members in implementing service-learning, workforce/entrepreneurship and
environmental science activities in after school and other community-based settings.
As a result of receiving Teen Corps training, 25 youth and adult members:
• Completed Teen Corps leadership training.
• Returned to their club sites to engage148 new youth in leadership development and 4-H
orientation, workforce readiness training, and established STEM and entrepreneurship
projects and initiatives.
• Implemented the Baltimore City 4-H Youth Expo held on May 16, 2015. The Expo is a
citywide annual event that showcases the talents and skills of youth between the ages of 518. One hundred and sixty youth and families attended the event.
• Garnered a total of 1,476 volunteer hours by teaching and implementing projects in their
communities, reaching 1,000 community members citywide.
• Conducted outreach efforts to increase the awareness of UME-Baltimore City in
communities citywide, valued at $34,051.32.
• A tenured 4-H Baltimore City Extension educator authored the Teen Corps Leadership
Program curriculum that was accepted through the University of Maryland Extension for
publication.
“When youth and adults work together, young people
become more educated, more independent, and more
responsible. This prepares young people to take their
rightful place as caring, competent citizens and leaders
in their community and in the world.”
–Teen Corps Member’s vision statement
UME-Baltimore City Annual Report | 2015
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Financial Education
This program provides guidance to limited and moderate-income youth and adults. The
program focuses on financial education, economics/finance, rental eviction prevention
education and job preparation training. Educational seminars and workshops were delivered to
845 youth in Baltimore City Public Schools, and adults in detention centers, inmates in prerelease programs, and residents in public housing.
Program Highlight: “Entrepreneurs of the Future”
Most ex-offenders are not able to find work because of their conviction history. “Entrepreneurs
of the Future” is a small business ownership training program that teaches soon-to-be-released
inmates business planning and ownership. This program is for inmates with GED jointly
coordinated by University of Maryland Extension – Baltimore City and the Metropolitan
Transition Center/Baltimore Area Reentry Services, Baltimore City Correction Center.
The objective of the program is to provide ex-offenders with a formal knowledge of starting and
owning a small business as an alternative to seeking employment, which they may never land due
to background checks. The program is located at the Metropolitan Transition Center/Baltimore
Area Reentry Services, Baltimore City Correction Center.
Seventy-two inmates participated in the program for two months learning business-planning,
principles of economics, market and marketing, and basic computer applications using Microsoft
Excel for computing cost and price determination.
Data from teaching effectiveness indicates that:
• 95% of inmates indicated that they acquired new knowledge such as deriving total cost
(fixed and variable cost), revenue, total revenue, profit, and total profit using the
computer.
• 98% of inmates indicated that they would start a small business after incarceration.
“I like the Entrepreneurship class a lot! It’s not hard and is
very uplifting and encouraging. And it gives you the basic
thought process of creating a business, allows you to
understand the outline of a small business, and gives you
general marketing skills.”
-Program Participant
UME-Baltimore City Annual Report | 2015
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Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)
EFNEP assists limited income families, pregnant teens and youth by providing free, interactive
and culturally appropriate nutrition workshops. Participants acquire knowledge and skills in
nutrition, all fundamental factors for improving and maintaining individual and total family
health. Using “hands-on” instruction, EFNEP educators reached 350 (256 graduated)
Baltimore City families (impacting 1,342 persons) about stretching food dollars, improving
eating habits, practicing food safety principles and increasing physical activity.
Baltimore City participants in EFNEP demonstrated a percent of positive change in the
following indicators based on pre and post 24-hour dietary surveys:
• Dietary Improvement: Grains: 40%, Whole Grains: 36%, Fruits: 36%, Vegetables:
39%, Dairy: 41%, Protein: 41%, and SoFAS: 57%.
• Increased Physical Activity: 47.3%
• Average Cost Savings in Monthly Food Expenses: $45.80
Program Highlight: EFNEP Grocery Store Tours in Partnership with Share our Strength
Educators of EFNEP conducted “Cooking Matters” grocery store tours reaching 42 adults. Many
of the food insecure families who participated in the tours were from neighborhoods/communities
who are recipients of state benefits, such as Medical Assistance, SNAP and Temporary Cash
Assistance (TCA). The families gained valuable skills on making healthier food choices while
on a budget.
Most of the grocery store tours were carried out as a finale to end EFNEP’s nutrition education
workshop series. The tours and $10 Grocery Store Challenge reinforced concepts covered during
EFNEP’s nutrition education workshops which covered topics on label reading, understanding unit
price, stretching food dollars and making healthy food choices, such as choosing whole grains and
delicious fruits and vegetables on a budget. The grocery store managers at several grocery stores
such as Food Depot, Food King, Save a Lot, Price Rite, The Markets at Highland and Murry’s
generously welcomed grocery tour participants and worked to provide a pleasant shopping
experience. The participants appreciated the information they received during the tours, the
opportunity to purchase healthy food items for their families with the $10 Grocery Store Challenge,
as well the reusable shopping bags and recipe booklets.
“Being in the nutrition program, I have learned the
importance of eating healthy.”
-EFNEP Workshop Participant
UME-Baltimore City Annual Report | 2015
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Food Supplement Nutrition Education (FSNE)
This program provides nutrition education to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) households and also trains collaborating partners and teachers to administer FSNE
curricula to the target audience. FSNE programs are provided at no cost to support the work of
community agencies serving SNAP-eligible individuals and families, such as title 1 schools,
literacy centers, local food banks, soup kitchens, WIC offices, senior centers, head start
programs, Judy Centers, community centers neighborhood groups, and homeless shelters. The
program served 8,940 youth, teachers, seniors and parents with young children, and community
partners.
Program Highlight: Text2BHealthy Program
The Text2BHealthy Program is a text messaging program for parents/caregivers of students
who are receiving FSNE programming in their schools. The main goal of the Text2BHealthy
program is to inform parents of what their children are learning in school so that they can
reinforce those same messages at home. Each Text2BHealthy message is made specifically for
that school. For example, a 3rd grade class had a mango taste test. Parents of those 3rd grade
students will then receive a text message about this taste test and receive recipes containing
mangos. Moravia Elementary School participates in the Text2BeHealthy program where 350
parents are signed up. Text2BHealthy has been shown to create positive behavior changes.
According to a recent Text2BHealthy survey, 33 percent of Text2BHealthy parents decreased the
frequency of buying chips, candy or cookies. Additionally, 35 percent of children decreased the
number of hours of TV watched per day.
“I enjoyed the text messages on Thanksgiving Day about
getting up after a holiday meal and have the family go for a
walk. It was valuable time to share great conversation
about being thankful but also felt much better getting some
physical activity in after an enjoyable meal. We will be
adding this to our family tradition.”
-Parent Program Participant
UME-Baltimore City Annual Report | 2015
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Urban Agriculture Program
The UME-Baltimore City Master Gardener Program volunteers provided agriculture literacy to
over 4,000 individuals at numerous events, such as: B’more Healthy Expo, UMD Wellness
Fair, Baltimore Herb Festival, Creative Minds Festival, Maryland State Fair, and JFX, Johns
Hopkins, Pimlico and Waverly Farmers Markets. The Master Gardeners donated over 2,500
pounds of produce to various food pantries and soup kitchens across the city. The volunteers
contributed over 5,500 hours of service to the City
of Baltimore. Twenty-four UME- Baltimore
City Master Gardener interns completed the required volunteer commitment and became
certified UME Master Gardeners.
Program Highlight: Citywide Outreach
• A Food for Profit training session was held in Baltimore City in early spring teaching foodbased entrepreneurs the basics of starting a food business. Thirteen individuals successfully
completed the one-day training session.
• Fourteen urban famers became certified in Nutrient Management and are now able to write
their own nutrient management plan.
• During the summer, eight young people, ages 17-21, participated in the Urban Agriculture
Summer Training Program in partnership with three urban farms. The common theme
amongst the youth was that they all resided in food desert regions of the city. Youth were
exposed to various aspects of commercial farming and had the opportunity to participate in
a local farmers market as well as assist a local caterer with a catering job.
• UME-Baltimore City Master Gardener Program hosted Farming in the City Tour.
Attendees included UME Educators and Specialist, members of Maryland Department of
Agriculture, Nutrition Educators, Master Gardeners and community members. The purpose
of the tour was to raise awareness and promote urban agriculture.
• The first Bay-Wise and Beautiful Tour took place in the Dickeyville and Mt. Washington
communities allowed participants the opportunity to see Bay-Wise principles in action. A
total of 13 properties agreed to be a part of the tour. Master Gardeners hosted the tours
noting key highlights of the properties. The tour was so well received that it is now an
annual event. A record number of 26 properties were certified Bay-Wise, five of which
were community gardens.
“Extension’s Urban Agriculture Program has given me
the opportunity to enhance my knowledge about
composting and how to improve the soil.”
- Urban Farmer