February 20, 2025
IN ATTENDANCE:Rick Bowen Amy Cooksey Brianda Guillen-EFNEP Program Update Pat Kindvall Erin Mathews Jill Matlock Will Nelson Cindy Nosko-Minutes Carole Pitre Sean Short Lori Stevens Cary Weiner-Interim Director ABSENT: Dr. Darin Lickfeldt Commissioner Kevin Ross Gary Schaneman The meeting began at noon. The Advisory Board went around and introduced themselves as there were a couple of new people in attendance. Rick motioned that the minutes be approved, and Will seconded the motion. Motion passed. Cary Weiner gave an update on Extension. Started with a couple of search updates; we hired a horticulture specialist, Jen Rushton. She is working on her PhD and will be graduation in May. She will be working with Nicole, the CMG Coordinator on the Master Gardener Program. We were also successful in hiring the now “full time” Fair/Admin Coordinator position that at one time was full time during the summer and ½ time for the rest. We brought back Cheryl Aragon; she worked here previously and was re-hired. The other search was the director which ended being a failed search the first time around as there were some mixed feelings about it so ultimately that’s where state committee landed. We have since then re-advertised the position and have as many applicants as all last time. Just opened on the 14th. We’re hoping for a successful search this time. We’ve blocked out April 14th-April 16th for interviews. In an update, the local committee will hold interviews in person on April 1st. He also gave the board updates on the staff from the morning meeting and of course Weld County is still #1 for enrollment numbers. There was no commissioner report at this time. Brianda Guillen gave an update on the EFNEP (Expanded Food & Nutrition Education) program. She was hired on late August of 2024 and successfully completed the EFNEP New Staff Training. During the intensive 6-week training that was provided by EFNEP Specialists and faculty in CSU’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. She learned how to facilitate the Eating Smart, Being Active curriculum and was instructed on the research-based nutrition, physical activity, food resource management and food safety content included in the 9-lesson series. Brianda also received knife skills and culinary training to assist her program participants in preparing delicious, low-cost recipes that are included in the Eat Smart program. The focus of the EFMEP program is to help families budget and plan healthy meals on a limited budget and teach them how to be more active. The target audience right now is low-income families. We work primarily with young children, pregnant women and parenting teenagers. We also work with school age youth 5-19 years of age. The program is a federally funded nutrition education program, and we are currently working to get youth between the ages of 18-29 that qualify for SNAP or WIC. Eating Smart and Being Active is the new curriculum for pregnant women. It’s a 9-week course which teaches them how to choose healthy food and being active. Each lesson takes about 1 ½ -2 hours. Parents learn how to prepare meals, and they get samples of those recipes. The also participate in 10–15-minute physical activities which are moderate intense cardio with muscle or bone building exercise. Each week the parents receive an incentive for their continued participation and to help them apply the new skills they’ve learned in the lessons. Additional maternal and infant lessons are also provided for pregnant and nursing women. During pregnancy they learn the importance of prenatal care, healthy foods and being active during pregnancy, how to ease the discomforts and how to keep food safe. For those nursing they learn information to help with the decision on whether breastfeeding or formula is the best choice and what the benefits of breastfeeding are for the mom and baby, and how to know when the infant is full. When it’s time for solid foods, they learn how to know when the infant is ready for solid foods and how to offer it to them, and which solid foods are right for their age. Brianda has established partnerships with Weld County WIC, Nurse Family Partnership and Colorado Early Education Network (CEEN) for an early/head start for referrals and participant recruitment. They are also partnering with the local food pantries. The Lighthouse Community Center and Food pantry have been very supportive as they have provided space for the lessons, help to promote to their clients and allow Brianda to attend food distribution and other events. Members of their team have even volunteered to attend and assist with setup and cleanup. The Weld County Health Department is also providing classroom space to host the class series. EFNEP is currently working on getting new groups scheduled in partnership with Greeley-Weld Housing Authority housing properties and other low-income housing such as Meeker Commons. Brianda was also able to share a success story with the group and provided fruit sorbet samples to the council members. Since October of 2024, she has had 16 adults enrolled in EFNEP and has reached out to 63 families EFNEP has made 107 contacts in Weld County, 6 adults graduated from EFNEP with the completion of at least 7 lessons. Next on the agenda was the nomination of chair and co-chair. Sean nominated Dr. Darin Lickfeldt for Chair and Will for Co-chair. Rick seconded the motion With no further business or new business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m. The next Council meeting will be on February 20th, at noon at the Extension Office. Kim Eastwood will be giving an update on the 4-H program.