EAT WHAT YOU GROW IN CAPE MAY COUNTY, NJ
Extension Education
Claudia Gil Arroyo
Rutgers
Cape May Court House
Abstract
The Eat What You Grow program is a workshop series done in partnership between the Agriculture and Natural Resources and Family and Community Health Sciences departments of Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County. The series consists of four sessions, one per season (January, April, June and October 2025. The goal of the program is to promote healthy living and teach how to grow healthy food at home. Each class focuses on seasonal vegetables and fruits, providing nutritional information and preparation ideas, and teaches about growing such produce in a home garden. The series covers the following topics: garden planning, garden friendly pantry planning, health benefits of gardening, preserving, balanced meals, and healthy twist of seasonal harvest foods. All classes are offered at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension office of Cape May County. Only the Winter session has been offered so far, to 20 participants, who were surveyed about their participation. 92% When asked about the value of the information given in the session, the average response was 4.58, 92% of participants strongly agreed with a statement indicating that they plan to use or share what they learned, and 89% strongly agreed with a statement indicating that they will make changes in their personal activities based on what they learned. Such results are encouraging and provide evidence of the need for a multifaceted approach to healthy eating, while maximizing educational efforts from Rutgers Cooperative Extension in Cape May County by creating partnerships between departments.
Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
This poster is being submitted for judging. It will be displayed at the AM/PIC if not selected as a State winner. The abstract will be published in the proceedings.
Click to view Poster
Authors: Claudia Gil Arroyo
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Gil Arroyo, C. County Agent III, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey, 08210