EFNEP education is conducted through the nation's land-grant institutions and provides community-based, hands-on education

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Auburn University $2.014 million under the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (CFDA 10.514) on October 1, 2025.

Auburn delivers community-based nutrition education to limited-resource families, youth in grades 5–12, and pregnant women and teens through peer-to-peer educators from the communities served. The program focuses on diet quality and physical activity, food resource management, food safety, and food security, utilizing evidence-based curricula delivered primarily in small groups. Auburn's professional staff also work with schools to develop, implement, and evaluate policies, systems, and environments promoting healthy foods and physical activity choices. The program reaches audiences through partnerships with schools, healthcare providers, housing sites, community centers, social service agencies, and faith-based institutions.

Expected outcomes include improved diet quality and food resource management skills among participants, increased knowledge of food preparation and storage safety, increased physical activity, promotion of proper infant nutrition among low-income pregnant women and teens, support for full-term normal weight births, and trained school personnel advancing access to healthy foods and physical activity for students. Auburn maintains flexible education delivery models to sustain service to target audiences.

Performance occurs at Auburn, Alabama. The award period runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2030.

Auburn U niversity EFNEP teaches limited-resource youth, families, and pregnant women and teens through a series of lessons, primarily in small groups, to improve dietary practices and manage available resources more effectively. The goal is to help limited-resource audien CES gain knowledge and skills to improve nutrition, physical activity, and overall health. Education is provided by educators who come from the communities they serve. This is based on the EFNEP peer-to-peer education model emphasizing building capacity within low -income communities. The focus areas are diet quality and physical activity, food resource management, food safety, and food security. Additionally, EFNEP professional staff support schools where nutrition education is provided to students to develop, implement, and evaluate policies, systems, and environments that promote healthy foods and physical activity choices in school. The EFNEP target audience includes limited resources: families, adults with children, youth in grades 5-12, and pregnant women and teens. This audience is reached through community partnerships with schools, healthcare, housing sites, community centers, social service agencies, and faith-based institutions, etc. Deliverables/expected outcomes: provide nutrition education to the target audience, improve diet quality of participants, improve food resource management skills, improve knowledge of preparing and storing food safely, increase physical activity, promote proper infant nutrition among low-income moms-to-be, help moms-to-be have full-term, normal weight babies, train and support school personnel to increase access to healthy foods and physical activity, and maintain service to target audience through flexible education model. To accomplish these outcomes, evidence based curricula and strategies are utilized in a series of hands-on, interactive classes, covering topics including, among others, myplate, reading food labels, preparing food safely, making healthy choices when dining out, creating a meal plan and food budget, selecting healthy food options, pregnancy-related nutriti onal needs, infant feeding practices, and school wellness approaches. Federal funding supports the operation and implementation of nutrition education across alabama counties with high poverty rates, food insecurity, and obesity. The majority of funds support educators' programming efforts, recruitment and retention of participants, and evaluation. Continuous training opportunities are also provided to educators. Participants receive education and many lesson reinforcements that encourage them to continue what they learn in classes in their homes. Youth participants are prepared for lifelong improvement in health and overall diet quality and bring what they learn home to their families and affect change DR. Katie funderburk assistant director, federal nutrition programs expanded food & nutrition education program alabama cooperative extension system 201 duncan hall, 322 mell street auburn university, AL 36849 the expanded food and nutrition education program (EFNEP) is funded by the US department of agriculture, national institute of food and agriculture (USDA/NIFA). The alabama cooperative extension system (alabama a & M university and auburn university) is an equal opportunity educator, employer, and provider. WWW.aces.EDU across generations. Additionally, programming provides school and community level benefits. Personal improvements in health behaviors and healthy school environments impact overall community heal TH. The program works to change individual behaviors and support schools in creating healthier environments. Limited-resource communities often lack access to healthy food options and experience a greater burden of diet-related disease. Working with a knowledge of these barriers means that participants are equipped to share the knowledge and skills they have gained with their friends, family, and community. The reach of our programming goes beyond just those who are present to all with whom they interact, who also experience these community-level barriers. We also know that healthy individuals are more engaged members of society. By improving individual health behaviors, we can impact community and workforce engagement.