Progress 07/01/23 to 06/30/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The completed Community Food Program (CFP) - Community Grant Program (CGP) titled,C.O.N.N.E.C.T. -- Communities Overcoming Need through Nutrition Education, Collaboration,and Training, brought together local food system stakeholders and Mississippi State University(MSU) personnel to increase food system capacity and networks of Oktibbeha County - MS. This work matters because it lays the foundation for sustainable projects aimed at reducing food insecurity among low-income and at-risk residents. When this project was proposed, it was deemed important to identify those who are in positions to facilitate change, to connect those who are already doing related work, and to identify which of these groups, organizations, and/or individuals have the capacity and passion to further pursue innovative approaches to positively impact food access for those in need. It was also deemed important to target those in the community who utilize food access resources and have need or are at risk. The sustainability of future programs require input from those that the program will be designed to help. Therefore, insight from low-income, food insecure, and/or at-risk individuals needed to be captured. Many who live in Oktibbeha County - MS have food access needs. This county is in the east central portion of the state, and food insecurity is present at a rate of 19% (Gundersen et al., 2021). Approximately 11.6% of households (median income $14,563) receive food stamps/SNAP benefits, and of those households, 58.8% have children under 18 years old (Census Bureau 2022). The MSU campus is in Oktibbeha County (23,086 students) and has a food insecurity rate of 34% among its student population (Conrad 2022). Oktibbeha County has three opportunity zones: Low-Income Community Tract Type, Census Tract Numbers: 28105950100, 28105950500, and 28105950602 (Internal Revenue Service, 2022). Mississippi State University stakeholder groups who were targeted for this project and who become highly involved with C.O.N.N.E.C.T. activities include MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and MSU Division of Student Affairs. The MSU groups contributed expertise in the areas of food production, student population access, campus food resources, and collaborative efforts related to food system linkages between the university campus and surrounding community in Oktibbeha County- MS. Student organization and graduate level courses were targeted to involve students with program activities. This intentionality was meant to build relationships between the community and MSU, to provide feedback relevant to the student populations who experience food insecurity and to develop skills and training for students who plan to work in areas of nutrition or health-related outreach. Good student participation was achieved from students enrolled in the THRIVE Scholars Program. This program supports MSU students who have experienced foster care, homelessness, or are emancipated. These students often require financial assistance and support to maximize their success.Students enrolled in FNH 8513 Theory and Practice of Health Education and students in the Dietetic Internship were also involved as a direct result of course projects or the MSU registered dietitian's involvement as a preceptor to interns and work with the student population. Community stakeholders who were targeted and become involved include the J.L. King Center, Discovery Center, and the Starkville Boys and Girls Club. Each of these were crucial in connecting residents with resources and in connecting the project facilitators and stakeholders to those in need. Programming conducted at these organizations include a combination of the following: health and well-being outreach, parenting education, gardening activities, nutrition education and food insecurity resources for low-income populations. These target audiences provided feedback to program facilitators regarding food access, community programming, barriers, and needs. The J.L. King center in a community center which primarily serves a six-square mile area that includes five subsidized housing and subdivisions, however participants come from throughout the city of Starkville and Oktibbeha County. This community center has a variety of programs and outreach efforts, most relevant to C.O.N.N.E.C.T. is the Youth Development program which serves 40-45 students daily with academic improvement, social/emotional skills, and enrichment. The Discovery Center is part of the Starkville-Oktibbeha School District, with access to families in the area and strategic goals that encompass the objectives of C.O.N.N.E.C.T. The Discovery Center has a strong presence in the community and is known as a strong collaborator for those seeking to connect with families in need of resources and support. During the proposal phase, program facilitators identified Starkville Strong as a crucial partner due to the work they accomplish as a local, non-profit organization in the town of Starkville, located in Oktibbeha County- MS. Starkville Strong works one-on-one with individuals in the community to help them find and maintain stability in their situation, which includes food security. The inclusion of Starkville Strong was initially due to their work with food collection and distribution, but throughout the project, this group helped to facilitate the goals and objectives related to the food security coalition. The food insecure or at-risk individuals targeted during this project were identified through their participation in food access resources, such as food kitchens or food pantries. They were also targeted based on their participation in activities in low-income areas or were identified and recruited based on past program participation that stakeholders were aware of. A variety of individuals and local program representatives were invited to take part in the development of a Food Security Coalition. These individuals were targeted related to work they do with food access resources. Representatives were invited from each of the stakeholder groups listed above, as well as from limited liability companies formed with the intent of providing food for the community, local garden projects working inside low-income neighborhoods, charitable food kitchens, churches, food pantries, and Extension offices. There were two primary target audiences reached throughout this project, food insecure individuals or those at-risk of food insecurity, and those working to meet the needs of food insure or at-risk individuals. The C.O.N.N.E.C.T. project united groups within the community that already had efforts in place to improve food security and fostered mutually beneficial relationships among those groups working to assist food insecure residents in meeting their nutritional needs. The target audiences focused on with this project were specifically chosen and proved effective in meeting the project's goals and objectives. Changes/Problems:There were no problems or delays that impacted the rate of spending, no deviations to goals, or protocol changes. Quarterly activities with community partners and community residents were held as planned. While not a major change, the outcome of a food security coalition was modified into a food security committee that better meets the identified needs of resource providers and community members interested in food security work. The committee is structured to function through one of the community partner's initiatives and provides guidance related to future decision-making related to food access to those in need. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided training activities that consisted of hands-on educational interactions that taught specific skills necessary to maximize food resources. These trainings included cooking demonstrations and activities that allowed participants to use ingredients that are readily available at food pantries to make a healthy recipe. The trainings taught how to properly use kitchen equipment and tools, and how to safely cut produce. Training was also provided on how to start a garden in a small area, and allowed for hands-on practice planting plants in a garden space. Training on how to water and care for plants was provided to program participants. The reach of training activities extended beyond just workshop participants. Program facilitators involved university students in initial activities so that they could assist in leading subsequent training sessions. The train-the trainer model provided engagement that develops professional proficiency for the students involved, which can have impact on future food security work. Mentorship was provided to an undergraduate research scholar working exclusively with the C.O.N.N.E.C.T. project. The student received training in beginner research techniques and presentation skills, as well as hands-on experience working with community partners, resource recipients, and program planning and implementation. This project provided professional development for program facilitators through participation in a three-day long program director meeting for USDA Community Nutrition Project Directors. Professional skills were developed related to grant management, technical assistance and networking among professionals associated with the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFPCGP), Food and Agriculture Service-Learning Program, and GusNIP funded projects. The PI was also able to increase knowledge related to funding opportunities through individual virtual meetings with ISED Solutions, the organization tasked with providing technical assistance to grantees of CFPCGP. Also, the PI was able to increase knowledge through a Community of Practice webinar that focused on how to utilize funding to expand programs and networks, and to leverage additional funding from other sources. An additional professional development event made possible by this project was attendance to the Mississippi Hunger Summit. This event provided education on resourcing food pantries, farmers work related to food security, addressing hunger in the classroom, food pantries as community connectors, and networking/resource fair. A subsequent event took place and was attended by a student completing a dietetic internship rotation with Mississippi State University (MSU). This project coordinated a follow-up activity presented by the dietetic intern, along with their registered dietitian preceptor. They agreed to lead an educational update with the CFPCGP grantees and MSU faculty that expanded knowledge related to food security work. Updates from the summit related to food security needs across the state of Mississippi, challenges and solutions related to hunger in Mississippi, and available resources. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Stakeholder groups from Mississippi State University (MSU) were kept abreast of project results via outreach and inclusion in activities. Faculty and students of the THRIVE program, which is housed in the Division of Student Affairs, as well as students enrolled in health promotion, horticulture and landscape architecture, which are part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, were involved in projects. Students took part in activities and received result information at the time of events, and faculty/staff members also received updates of event/workshop outcomes. Additionally, the PI and co-PIs met regularly to update each other on results of events, meetings, and surveys, and then relayed the information back to each PIs respective departments at MSU, the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, Plant and Soil Sciences, and Landscape Architecture. Outcomes from surveys were also presented by an undergraduate student at the 2024 Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium. This event was participated in, judged and visited by all disciplines across the university. The student who worked with C.O.N.N.E.C.T. won the first place George Hopper Undergraduate Research Scholars Award for the College of Agriculture of Life Science/Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station division, and third place in the Public Health Research Competition. This brought exposure of the project results across campus through multiple poster presentations and abstract printings. Community stakeholders and resource providers were made aware of results and outcomes of the project through meeting updates and reports. Throughout the project, it was the community stakeholders and resource providers who provided the connection to the target population of food insecure or at-risk individuals in the community. Resources were made as a result of feedback and provided to community members in need who attended project activities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project obtained information about the state of needs among community stakeholders and residents and provided education/training about how to acquire and utilize food access resources.The first goal of this project focused on the engagement of community resource providers and low-income residents so that community resources can be established that maximize long-term, sustainable solutions to food and nutrition access.Ten community resource providers shared details about the work they do to help meet food access needs. This information was obtained via surveys as well as through group meetings that allowed representatives from various providers to convene. The biggest issues expressed by resource providers were lack of money, food, and awareness of the problem. They also expressed the need for better coordination to prevent program overlap. This group noted that a strength of the community is that it has multiple resources related to food and much potential to bring people together. But there is a gap in awareness about the extent of food insecurity in the community. Stigmas and stereotypes about who a food insecure person is was mentioned in many discussions, and the need to humanize the issue when developing future programs is necessary. An estimated total of 4,388 community members per month utilize food access resources which are provided by the community partners/resource providers who completed the survey. From the surveys, there is no way to know how many individuals in the community use multiple resources and were therefore counted more than once. Community partners all expressed interest in partnering with others so that benefit can be attained from combined action and effort.Relationships were strengthened among community resource providers and those whoseek food access resources. At the end of the project, representatives from the university (staff, faculty and students), businesses, non-profit organizations, religious organizations, government agencies, and volunteer groups continue to interact via a food security committee that meets monthly and maintains ongoing dialogue through an online messaging board and/or through involvement in regular food resource events. The second goal of the project focused on educating low-income residents about food access resources and building skills needed to improve food security. Food resource handouts were created and shared at events throughout the year, such as at booths at university and community events, with participants of nutrition education workshops, and with those utilizing food access resources. Events were planned throughout the year that provided education and training related to food access skills: college-friendly cooking workshop, smart snacking and produce cutting activity with pre-teens and teens, beginner gardening workshop, and garden event with kids at an after-school community center in a low-income area. Feedback was obtained from low-income residents to learn what they know about current community resources, as well as their usage and perspectives about them. The feedback was obtained via surveys provided to participants of cooking and gardening workshops, surveys administered at charitable organizations that provide free food to those in need, surveys completed via QR codes posted at food pantries, and through discussions with participants at the workshops and locations just mentioned. Forty surveys were completed via the QR code surveys, and sixteen surveys were returned from workshop participants. All participants indicated that attending the workshops increased their knowledge of food access resources, and eighty-eight percent felt that the information was relevant to their needs. While the participants did learn skills related to food preparation and recipes, most participants indicated that knowledge of food access resources was the most important thing that they learned about. Seventy-five percent of participants said that they learned new skills. The most notable barriers to food access among workshop participants were money, time and knowledge of resources. The lack of transportation was the most notable barrier provided by those who completed the survey via QR code at a food access point. When asked via open-ended questions what additional information should be included in future nutrition education workshops, kitchen safety, how to handle raw foods, knife safety, cleaning produce, and how to identify spoiled food were all mentioned and are related to a need for further food preparation and food safety training in the community. Notable feedback was gained from discussions with a group of thirty 1st-4thgraders participating in a garden event. Many were surprised to learn that they would be able to eat food being grown from the plants that they were "putting in the dirt." The children had many questions about when to water the garden and how to care for the garden. Much instruction was needed on how to care for the garden beds and plants. The children were very excited to learn about how to use food that is grown in the garden.All participants said they would like to learn more about planting, how to eat the food grown in a garden, and that they would be more likely to try new foods they have grown. Notable feedback was gained from staff who work with a group of twenty-five 6th-8thgraders that participated in a program activity. They observed an increased interest by the kids in learning about the nutrients in foods when they were allowed to talk about the foods during a hands-on activity. Engagement and questions increased as the students learned how to cut up produce and make guacamole, with many trying avocados for the first time. Despite the children's interest in learning about their food and being involved with the preparation of it, program facilitators discovered that the facility has four raised garden beds that are going unused. Key outcomes of this project include: Community resource providers are more familiar with the work done by others in the community so that future partnerships or referrals increase. Individuals who are food insecure or at-risk increased their knowledge of food access resources. Adults and teens learned how to prepare produce, create healthy meals and snacks, and maximize food readily available in food access programs. Community resource providers and program facilitators learned about the strengths and barriers to adequate food access as expressed by those in need. Partnerships among community resource providers were made and are being maintained through a food security committee managed by one of the partners. Children planted items in a garden for the first time and learned the origins of familiar foods. Community resource providers and program facilitators identified needs and barriers to consider when developing sustainable programs that improve access to food with good nutritional quality, and that minimize the emotional toll associated with barriers to food access. These outcomes relate to the objectives of the project, which consider the interconnectedness of various elements impacting well-being and health. The broader context of an individual and aspects of the community in which they live were considered when exploring the needs of the community. Available food, knowledge, awareness, skills, relationships, resources and support were considered in the creation of program goals and objectives, and therefore provided outcomes can be used to foster social support networks within the community. Individuals reached through this project were immediately helped through their increased knowledge and/or skills related to resources and their utilization. This foundational understanding of needs can be built upon to develop long-term solutions to enhance food security.

Publications