OVERVIEW

Demographics

Passaic County
Population of 497,093 (2006 Estimate)

• Total area of 185 sq miles - 2,643 persons per square mile
• Per Capita Income - $21,370
• 12% of the population is below the poverty level (1999)
• 62% White, 30% Hispanic, 13% African American
  

• Total area of 8.7 sq miles - 17,675 persons per square mile
• Per Capita income - $13,257
• 22.2% of the population is below the poverty level
• 51% Hispanic, 33% African American, 13% White, 2% Asian, 1% Native American
  

• Total area of 3.2 miles - 21,804 persons per square mile
• Per Capita income - $12,874
• 21.2% of the population is below the poverty level
• 63% Hispanic, 30% White, 13% African American

• 24,678 households in Passaic County are SNAP Eligible Participants  (February 2008)
  

• Inability to have SNAP benefits and food budget last through the month
• Limited food preparation and food storage facilities
• High reliance on convenience foods and fast food restaurants
• Limited nutrition and food safety knowledge
• High consumption of high fat foods and low consumption of fruits, vegetables and dairy products
  

• The SNAP-Ed project in Passaic County serves SNAP audiences in the Communities of Clifton, Paterson and Passaic; areas that are outside the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) service areas of Passaic and Paterson.  In the cities of Passaic, and Paterson, the EFNEP program is limited to nutrition education for English and Spanish speaking clients with children.  SNAP-Ed programming in Passaic and Paterson involves those individuals not already served by EFNEP, including:  seniors; adults participating in job training programs that last less than six weeks, and individuals with no families.  Education will occur in the following schools, where at least 50% of the students receive free or reduced price lunches:  Passaic Schools 2,7,11; Paterson Schools 17, 20, Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy High School, Eastside High School, International High School, Rosa Parks High School, Clifton Schools 12 and 17, Passaic County Technical High School, New Jersey Development Corporation, New Jersey Youth Corp, United Passaic Organization, Paterson Recreation Department, Clifton Boys and Girls Club, NJ After 3 Program at 11 schools in Paterson and 1 school in Clifton, Paterson Public Schools Health & Phys Ed Dept. at 5 schools in Paterson.  Education will also occur in the following Abbott pre-schools:  Memorial Day I, Memorial Day II, LaVida I, LaVida II, Passaic Schools, 3, 6,7,15,16,17,18 and the Center for Family Resources.
  

• To promote the SNAP-Ed Project and its statewide mission.  To increase food security through nutrition education programs to the SNAP-eligible population, resulting in improved dietary habits, food purchase and food preparation practices and improved eating behaviors.
• To improve and increase collaboration among existing agencies that currently work with low-income audiences, other governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations and private enterprises.
• To improve the nutrition education services available to SNAP program participants in Passaic County.
  

• To provide behaviorally focused, learner-driven, outcome-based nutrition education adult and senior SNAP recipients (English and Spanish speaking) via lessons that have been approved by the state nutrition specialist(s).
• To assess present and future needs for nutrition education in Passaic County
• To distribute and disseminate information about SNAP-Ed and specific nutrition education opportunities and activities available to the target population(s)
• To provide nutrition education that will assist in improving the dietary habits, food safety practices, and the eating behaviors of youth in schools where more than 50 percent of the students receive free or reduced lunches and are not serviced by EFNEP.   This will be done through the delivery of age-appropriate, behaviorally focused nutrition education lessons that are approved by the state nutrition specialist(s)
• To collaborate with the CUMAC-ECHO food distribution program and the Emergency Food Coalition.  The CUMAC-ECHO food distribution program provides food at its food pantry to food stamp participants who have used all of their food stamps by the end of the month.  The distribution center is utilized for recruitment of food stamp eligible participants for our educational programming and as a network resource for doing the same in over 15 emergency food pantries.

• The evaluation methodology that is used includes an overall measurement of the impact of nutrition education amongst the population of SNAP program participants.  The ERS reporting system is used for Pre and Post Diet Recalls and Behavioral Checklists.  Only the Behavioral Checklist is used in programs lasting less than 6 weeks.  An evaluation report of the project will be submitted for possible publication in a peer reviewed Nutrition and/or Family Consumer Sciences journal.