4-H
PROGRAMS FOCUS
MORE ON HEALTH
Educating Grant County youth
By Shanna Northway
Oregon State University
Extension Agent in Grant County
T
he role of county-based Ex-
tension as well as the 4-H
(Head, Heart, Hands, Health)
program has evolved greatly over
the past several years.
Statewide Extension programs
transitioned to be housed at the uni-
versity level under the College of
Public Health and Human Sciences.
This transition had a trickledown
effect that allowed county 4-H pro-
grams to focus more heavily on
health “H” of 4-H.
Federally funded SNAP-ED
(Supplemental Nutrition Assis-
tance Program Education) educa-
tors are also housed and facilitate
their education through county ex-
tension programs. This allows for
a great partnership between 4-H
and SNAP-ED that helps us better
educate our youth as well as their
families on where their food comes
from, how it is produced, how to eat
a healthful, well-balanced diet, the
importance of good hygiene, how
to eat healthful on a budget, expo-
sure to new foods and new ways to
eat them.
These programs help youth
learn from an early age not only
how to fuel their bodies with good,
healthful, nutritious foods, but also
to focus on the importance of good
overall health.
What does this mean for Grant
County?
We currently have several pro-
grams running that educate our
youth on good health and proper
nutrition.
Christal Culley, who coordi-
nates our SNAP-ED program in
Grant County, teaches up to three
Contributed photos
The ‘Smoothie Bike’ event at Humbolt Elementary is
one of several community outreach programs offered
by Grant County 4-H.
hour long classes a week in our
elementary schools. Students
learn how to eat from all of the
food groups and what those food
groups are, they learn how
to prepare healthful snacks, and
they are exposed to new foods and
new ways to try foods.
Every lesson also incorporates
physical activities that gets stu-
dents up out of their desk and mov-
ing. Students are provided with
fun colorful handouts and recipes
to share with their families. The
program does an amazing job ex-
posing students at an early age how
to make better choices about the
foods they put in their body. For
more information on the SNAP-
ED program and ways you can get
involved please contact our of¿ ce.
You can also visit www.food-
The SNAP-ED program teaches nutrition to students in grades 3-6.
16 || FAMILY HEALTH GUIDE 2016
hero.org for healthy, kid-friendly
recipes and tips to better nutrition.
Last year our 4-H program
focused on providing clubs and
activities that would help our 4-H
members have a better understand-
ing of their overall health.
We started a Youth Advocates
for Health club, or YA4-H club
for short, where teens get involved
with their schools and communi-
ties to promote healthy choices.
Over 40 junior high and high
school students participated in the
club. They contributed to their
community in several ways: helped
plan and attend Healthy Together
community meetings, participated
in the ¿ rst Teen Health fair, taught
See 4-H, Page C20