Inside EFNEP

Mission

Since 1969, the federally funded Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) has assisted limited resource families and youth in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and changed behaviors necessary for nutritionally sound diets and has contributed to their personal development and improvement of total family diet and nutrition welfare. In Texas, the program is administered by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program strives to deliver research-based information and education to clients in the home, classroom, or in community group settings to help Texans, with limited resources, make better nutrition and health decisions. Our focus is the development of strong, nurturing families, healthy children, positive youth development, and savings in food and healthcare costs for clients.

EFNEP Statement

Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is designed to assist limited resource audiences in acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and changed-behaviors necessary for nutritionally sound diets, and to contribute to their personal development and the improvement of the total family diet and nutritional well-being.

Program Objectives

Participation in EFNEP should result in:

• Improved diets and nutritional welfare for the total family.
• Increased knowledge of the essentials of human nutrition.
• Increased ability to select and buy food that satisfies nutritional needs.
• Improved practices in food production, preparation, storage, safety, and sanitation.
• Increased ability to manage food budgets and related resources such as food stamps.
• Improved physical activity behaviors.

Program Structure

Locations:
In Texas, EFNEP serves clients in eleven counties: Bexar, Cameron, Dallas, El Paso, Harris, Hidalgo, Nueces, Tarrant, Travis, Webb, and Willacy.

The State EFNEP Office is located in College Station.

Operation:
EFNEP agents, with training in family and consumer science and nutrition, recruit staff (paraprofessionals) from the target population. These paraprofessionals are trained to work with clients in group settings or one-on-one in their homes.

Eligibility for Program Participation

If you live in one of the following counties: Bexar, Cameron, Dallas, El Paso, Harris, Hidalgo, Nueces, Tarrant, Travis, Webb, or Willacy, you have a program close to you. EFNEP has both adult and youth phases of the program.

The two target audiences for EFNEP participation are:

• Low-income individuals in rural or urban areas who are responsible for planning and preparing the family's food, with emphasis on households with young children.
• Low-income youth living in rural or urban areas.