Overview

Population

According to U.S. Census 2000 Data:

• In 2000, 793,633 people reside in Essex County
• In 1999 over 14% of residents in Essex County lived in poverty making it the poorest county in the state of New Jersey.
• Essex County is home to the City of Newark, which is the largest New Jersey municipality in 2000 with 273,546 residents.
• The city of Newark has a racial profile of 27% white, 29% Hispanic and 53% African American.
• In 1999, over 28% of all Newark residents and nearly 37% of the children in Newark live below the poverty level.

Demographics

According to U.S. Census 2000 Data:

• The racial profile for Essex County is 45% Caucasian, 41% African American, and 15% Hispanic.
• The impoverished Municipalities of Newark, Irvington, Orange and East Orange have a different racial profile averaging at 13% White, 75% African American and 13% Hispanic. 16% of children in these municipalities live in female-headed households.
• The 1999 County estimates of all ages living in poverty are highest in the municipalities of Newark, Irvington, Orange and East Orange. Income Per Capita is approximately 15,581.

According to New Jersey Department of Labor:

• In 2002, Essex County unemployment rate was 7.3%, a 1.9% increase from 2001. The statewide unemployment rate in 2002 was 5.8%.

USDA Food Stamp Participating Families

• In 2002 over 65,000 individuals received food stamps in Essex County and nearly 30,000 also received TANF.
• In the 1999-2000 school year, over 83% of Newark Public School Students received free or reduced breakfast/lunch.

Essex County FSNEP Project

The Essex County Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP) targets the municipalities of Newark, Irvington, Orange and East Orange for food stamp recipients or individuals who are eligible to receive food stamps. The program also services schools in these municipalities where over 50% of students receive free or reduced lunches. FSNEP programming currently serves the following populations:

• Adults participating in “Work First” programs supported by the New Jersey Department of Labor
• Youth groups in Newark Public Schools (Grades k-12)
• Youth groups in Newark Public Schools Youth Development After School Program and summer program
• Teenage mothers that participate in high school nursery program
• Pre-College Program that targets college bound youth
• Adults and youth in residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities
• Hispanic adults and senior citizens at community development centers
• Youth and adults with mental and physical disabilities

Non Duplication

The FSNEP program will provide nutrition education to individuals and youth groups who are not serviced by the Essex County Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). The EFNEP and FSNEP Program Associates work closely to ensure non-duplication of services in schools and community agencies throughout Essex County.

Project Objectives

• To promote the FSNEP program and its mission of achieving food security by improving the diets and nutritional behaviors that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Americans.
• To facilitate collaboration among various organizations and agencies to target food stamp program participants or eligible youth, adults and seniors for nutrition education.
• To provide nutrition education in-services to participating agencies and Newark Public School personnel in Newark.
• To fulfill competencies of the UMDNJ Dietetic Internship Food Security rotation. Essex County will work with dietetic interns to contribute to the student's professional development in the area of nutrition education for Food Stamp participants and to improve county extension outreach capabilities.
• To provide nutrition education, according to the statewide mission, to Spanish speaking Food Stamp eligible adults and seniors throughout Essex County.
• To provide nutrition education classes to youth in schools and parent groups where more than 50% of the students receive free or reduced lunches and who are not served by EFNEP.
• To provide nutrition education to adults and youths with disabilities within Essex County.
• To provide nutrition education classes to 9th graders in the Summer Pre-College program run by the School of Public Health and Related Professions at UMDNJ.

Project Activities

• To provide nutrition education lessons throughout Essex County.
• Work with dietetic interns to contribute to the students' professional development in the area of nutrition education for the food stamp participants, and to improve County extension outreach capabilities.
• To utilize the Hillside Food-bank by obtaining USDA commodities to be used for food demonstrations and as a resource for FSNEP participants.
• To participate in community health fairs throughout Essex County to help increase nutrition awareness within the community.

Evaluation

The evaluation outcomes include an overall measurement of the impact of nutrition education amongst the adults and senior population of the Food Stamp program participants. The ERS reporting system is used for Pre and Post Diet recalls and Behavioral Checklists. An evaluation report of the project will be submitted for possible publication in the peer reviewed Nutrition and/or Family and Consumer Sciences Journal. The dietetic interns will be listed as part of the year-end evaluation report.

Collaborative Relationships

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Newark Public Schools
FOCUS Hispanic Center for Community Development
St. Columbia Neighborhood Club
Maria L. Varisco-Rogers Charter School, Inc.
CURA, Inc.
Essex County Workforce Development Center

Contact

Colleen E. Johnson, R.D., Program Associate
Essex County FSNEP at UMDNJ
Primary Care
65 Bergen Street, Rm. 159
Newark, NJ 07107-3001
Phone: (973) 972-9488
Fax: (973) 972-7403
E-mail: Johnsoce@umdnj.edu