2025 National EFNEP Coordinators' Conference

The integration of gardening and food preservation education into the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) provides a comprehensive strategy to enhance food security, food safety, and food resource management. Continued support in these areas promotes sustainable lifestyle changes among families, leading to improved health outcomes.

Ongoing education in gardening and food preservation equips families with skills to cultivate and preserve their own food, fostering resilience against economic challenges and supply chain disruptions. Access to homegrown and preserved foods can significantly improve a family's nutrition, reduce food expenses, and promote a more sustainable lifestyle. By learning to grow their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs, families can ensure a fresh, chemical-free food supply. Additionally, skills in food preservation—like canning, fermenting, and dehydrating—allow them to extend the shelf life of their harvests, minimizing waste and providing food security throughout the year.

These practices also encourage community engagement, as families can share knowledge, seeds, and even excess produce with neighbors. In times of economic uncertainty or disruptions in the food supply chain, these skills not only bolster individual resilience but also strengthen community ties and local food systems, creating a more self-sufficient and environmentally conscious society.

Utilizing cross program collaboration to create a forward-thinking and visionary approach for further engagement between Master Gardener, Master Food Preservers, and EFNEP. Strategies include joint workshops or a series and events. Organized workshops and events that integrate gardening, food preservation, and nutrition education by pooling resources like community gardens, kitchens for preservation, and educational materials.

Recruiting and retaining culturally diverse educators in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is critical to sustaining its impact in underserved communities. Strategic investments in program longevity and community engagement are essential to address these goals. Partnering with organizations and institutions that offer Community Health Worker (CHW) programs, such as City Colleges of Chicago and Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI), provides a viable pathway for training paraprofessionals and future EFNEP staff. Through these partnerships, candidates gain skills, receive stipends, and work part-time, contributing to program success while preparing for long-term careers.

A tiered career pathway within EFNEP, ranging from Community Outreach Worker to Program Administrator and County Director, promotes career growth and retention. Additionally, a referral system incentivizes current staff to recommend qualified candidates, further enhancing recruitment efforts.

To bolster professional development, existing staff are encouraged to pursue CHW certification through institutions such as Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and City Colleges of Chicago, with a financial incentive for completion. The introduction of a bilingual differential, modeled after the University of Wisconsin’s initiative, underscores the importance of linguistic diversity and creates a more inclusive workplace. These strategies, centered on collaboration, skill-building, and community-focused recruitment, aim to reduce staff turnover and ensure that EFNEP educators reflect the diverse communities they serve.

In today's digital landscape, social media has become an essential tool for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) to connect with communities, partners, and stakeholders. Leveraging various social platforms allows EFNEP to promote its mission, share program successes, and increase public awareness. However, with the rapid development of numerous social platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Pinterest) over the last two decades, questions arise regarding the most effective ways to engage diverse audiences and communicate the value EFNEP provides.

Developing and implementing strategies to enhance a program's social media presence is critical for driving public interest, fostering partnerships, and deepening community engagement. In this session, representatives from Clemson University, North Carolina State University, and the University of Maine will share their experiences and best practices for creating social media content, planning, scheduling, and tracking engagement. We will also emphasize the importance of showcasing real stories from local communities, amplifying partnerships, and sharing partner content to create a more authentic and impactful social media presence.