Family and Community Health

OSU Extension Seed to Supper offers resources for growing food on a budget

Seed to Supper is a free, comprehensive, six-week beginning gardening course that was co-created by the Oregon Food Bank and the Oregon State University Extension Service. Seed to Supper focuses on serving communities who have ...

Apr 2024 | Impact Story

Older adults in Malheur County build endurance and strength through exercise programs

Malheur County faces a significant health challenge with the highest levels of inactivity in Oregon among older adults. The sedentary lifestyle prevalent among older adults contributes to various health issues, impacting physical ...

Apr 2024 | Impact Story

Extension facilitates donation of vegetable starts from middle school greenhouse to food pantries

Each year La Grande Middle School students grow a wide variety of flowers, herbs and vegetable starts in their school greenhouse. After their annual plant sale fundraiser there are usually several flats of plants that did not ...

Apr 2024 | Impact Story

Extension educator serves as La Grande School District health coordinator as part of CDC Healthy Schools grant

Through its Child Nutrition Programs, the Oregon Department of Education selected the La Grande School District as the only school district in Oregon to be funded as part of a five-year cooperative agreement with the Centers ...

Apr 2024 | Impact Story

Stinging nettle publication uplifts importance of Indigenous ‘superfood’

Stinging nettle is a plant that can sting and cause welts, but when the sting is removed a traditional “superfood” emerges. Native Indigenous peoples have gathered stinging nettles since time immemorial. They can be used ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Extension offers support to build resiliency in farmers affected by climate stress and grief

A growing body of literature documents the mental health impacts of climate change on the general population, but with little focus on food producers that traditionally are less likely to seek out mental health support. However,...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Hybrid Master Food Preservation certification diversifies volunteer program

Interest in home food preservation has surged since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and Google search trends indicate that Oregonians’ interest in home canning ranks ninth nationally. As an increasing number of Oregonians ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

New ‘Library of Things’ food preservation collections benefit Eastern Oregonians

In Eastern Oregon, a dearth of grocery stores, a challenging climate for food production and the high costs of transporting food create a food security issue for the region’s residents. Additionally, the equipment needed to ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Extension responds to inequities with emergency preparedness events for Lincoln County’s Latino and Mesoamerican Indigenous residents

The 2020 Echo Mountain Complex Fire that burned over 2,500 acres and impacted 368 structures in Lincoln County exposed the communication inequities and gaps in resources for the county’s Latino and Indigenous Mesoamerican ...

Mar 2024 | Impact Story

Farm-to-school field trips teach Marion County students about local food system

Farm-to-school programs provide nutrition education, access to local foods, and agricultural education, serving families inside and outside the classroom. Classrooms that participate in farm-to-school programs such as farm field trips, the...

Feb 2024 | Impact Story