By Lorelei Jones, North Carolina State University, part of the USDA Extension Program.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is a federally funded nutrition education program conducted through the Cooperative Extension Service in every state and US territory.

The program serves limited resource families and school-age youth, including those who qualify for other food assistance programs such as Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Electronic Benefits Transfer, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Head Start, or free and/or reduced lunches.

Through the program, you learn how to make a food budget and how to select foods that will satisfy your family’s nutritional needs.

One EFNEP program in North Carolina showed families how to utilize all available resources for purchasing fruits and vegetables on a budget by using WIC Farmers’ Market coupons.

After completing the program, one participant said, “Since I have made changes in how I prepare and choose foods I have lost weight and have felt better and healthier. My family enjoys the food more than they have in the past, and the changes I learned in this class were not hard to do. It just took some time and practice.”

Learn more about EFNEP and how it can help your family.