WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – A partnership between a local farm and Cornell Cooperative Extension is helping people in Jefferson County get healthy food in an easier and more affordable way.
“You kind of get a one-stop shop for nutrition education, healthy eating tips, and also a quick food demo with some affordable food shares as well,” said Colton McCracken, SNAP-Ed Nutritionist, CCE.
He’s talking about CCE’s Neighbors Feeding Neighbors program. Every Friday from July 1 through August 5, people can attend the workshops and learn more about how to shop, prepare, and eat healthily.
“I think a lot of the times when people think eating healthy, they have a conception that it’s spending a lot of money. What’s nice is that when you go to a farmer’s market, there’s many in-season vegetables that are going to be low cost and affordable,” said McCracken.
The partnership between CCE and the local farms aims to help both people and the local producers.
“It started off with a couple boxes in Watertown. They were like, do you want to try it, and we said yes. It slowly developed from there. Now we have two sites we’re doing here and I’m actually doing two other sites in Governeur,” said Morgan Leeson, operations manager, O&E Farms.
Leeson says being able to give back to her community like this is special to her. Coming from a family with many brothers and sisters, she knows the challenges of having a balanced diet.
“I just know how hard it is when you’re living off of mac & cheese and chicken nuggets. Getting this type of food out to people, you feel so much better when you eat healthy. It’s much more delicious when you eat healthy,” she said.
Neighbors Feeding Neighbors demonstrations are held Fridays from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the LeRay Medical Center. Food shares from O&E Farms are available for purchase for those in attendance.
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