EFNEP Nutrition Educator Update- Brandi Anderson

January 6, 2021

Becoming a nutrition educator has inspired me on so many levels. Working within the Clemson EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) family has allowed me to connect with fellow EFNEP educators. These educators share a passion for helping others make their lives better through nutrition education. My fellow educators go above and beyond to not only excel in their own jobs but to assist new educators such as myself in adjusting to our new roles serving our specific counties. McCormick County is a beautiful place, and I am thrilled to be assigned to this location and strive to do my best.

Covid-19 has brought its own set of challenges, as we all know. Still, I feel that our team of educators, supervisors, and trainers have stepped up to provide support for each other during this difficult time. We are all learning together and accomplishing goals that would not have been possible without modern technology. We have all had a willingness to learn every step of the way. We currently offer classes via zoom and are still able to be a valuable resource to our communities. The courses we offer are for our CHFFF (Choose Health: Food, Fun, and Fitness) curriculum, Teen Cuisine curriculum, and ESBA (Eating Smart: Being Active) curriculum. These curriculums can reach groups of various age ranges beginning with elementary school children all the way to adults. Our EFNP training instructors provided a way for new nutrition educators, such as myself, to complete our training online as well, and that has been a blessing.

Recruiting program participants is at the forefront of our minds. We recruit in various ways through specialized flyers created for us, social media, and by reaching out to current and previous participants. It is currently a slow-going process because while we are adjusting to virtually providing education to the community, our communities are adjusting as well. However, we are not giving up! We are still here! Although our groups are a little smaller than they would have been prior to the pandemic, we are always here working to teach and inspire others to make healthy nutrition choices through education. I am honored to be a part of such an amazing group of people and to have the opportunity to help the McCormick (and Abbeville) community.

For more information on EFNEP related issues and programs, please contact Brandi Anderson by email at banders@clemson.edu or phone at 864-465-5033.