by Suzanne Weltman, MPA, Nutrition Links Supervisor, Penn State Extension
Fostering creative partnerships has become a highly viable tool amidst the challenge of budget cutbacks. Penn State Extension Philadelphia is committed to this practice, combining a longstanding relationship with La Salle University nutrition interns ( http://www.lasalle.edu/schools/snhs/nutrition/ ) and the Penn State Extension Nutrition Links program, designed to provide adult caregivers of school-age children with nutrition information and tools to help families maintain a healthy lifestyle.
( http://extension.psu.edu/health/nutrition-links )
With the goal of promoting increased intake of fresh fruits and vegetables for adults and youth,
Penn State Extension Philadelphia Nutrition Links actively sought innovative “fresh” ideas for semesterlong projects which would impact the dietary habits of inner city residents neighboring the La Salle campus, while providing students with a real-world community nutrition project.
Enter The Fresh Grocer, an independent retail grocery business committed to establishing stores in underserved urban and suburban communities, improving food access, and promoting health and wellness. ( http://www.thefreshgrocer.com/AboutUs.aspx
)
Fall 2012 was the pilot semester. Penn State Extension Nutrition Education Advisors teamed with a La
Salle nutrition intern, and with the support of the local The Fresh Grocer manager and corporate marketing director, held four recruiting events at the store in north Philadelphia, adjacent to the La
Salle campus.
Fresh fruit samples and sugarless sweet tea were available for those registering for the seven-
week Nutrition Links program to be held at La Salle’s newly renovated nutrition lab on campus. Of the many names collected, a few dedicated local residents committed to attending each class.
The nutrition series began with successful lessons on portion size and deciphering the nutrition label, along with planning to shop for the best value to achieve maximum nutrition on a limited budget.
Subsequent classes included cooking demos (and tasting) to encourage the use of fresh produce.
Most participants made dietary changes during the Nutrition Links program:
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One individual reduced her consumption of sugar-laden soda.
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A mom increased the frequency with which she served fresh vegetables to
her family and “…learned not to be afraid to add veggies to my smoothie.”
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Another person incorporated daily walking and physical activity into her
daily routine.
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Several participants reported that the program helped prepare
better/nutritional meals for their family.
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A few commented that they learned a lot about nutrients and how to
portion their meals.

Each week, The Fresh Grocer supplied bottled water, reinforcing Nutrition Links’ message of adequate hydration as part of overall positive health practices. Along with their eagerly-awaited incentive items including the EFNEP cookbook, fitness stretch bands and refrigerator thermometers, program graduates received a complimentary grocery coupon from The Fresh Grocer.
Penn State Extension Nutrition Links was offered again in the spring of 2013, with an increase in
class size, comprised mainly of hourly store employees, some of whom were young parents. The Fresh
Grocer supported participation by ensuring the workers were compensated for their time. Nutrition Links was the ideal offering, in that it coincided with the retail grocer’s launch of their employee wellness initiative.
Results of the three-fold partnership were very encouraging. Given the positive feedback from participants such as: “…it helped me learn about making better food choices…,” “I would recommend this program to anyone” and “I’ll do this again if I had the opportunity,” the organization trio agreed to continue building upon the success of their pilot efforts, providing future learning prospects for all involved.
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