April 22, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: mwelch@menominee.edu, 715-799-5600, ext. 3153
College of Menominee Nation Partners with UW-Madison Division of Extension’s FoodWIse Program to Deliver Health Initiative to Community
The partnership between the two land grant institutions will bring Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education (SNAP-Ed) to the citizens of Menominee Nation
KESHENA, WI- The College of Menominee Nation and UW-Madison Division of Extension’s FoodWIse program are excited to announce a partnership between the land grant universities to work collaboratively to deliver an important health initiative—the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education (SNAP-Ed)—to the citizens of Menominee Nation.
UW-Madison Division of Extension FoodWIse Program, has provided SNAP-Ed programming in Wisconsin for over 30 years, including with Menominee Nation/County. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education Program (SNAP-Ed) is a federal program administered through state SNAP agencies. The goal of SNAP is to improve the likelihood that people with limited incomes will make healthy food and lifestyle choices. SNAP-Ed provides nutrition education to individuals of all ages and works to increase access to healthy foods and opportunities to be physically active.
This SNAP-Ed partnership builds on other collaborative efforts currently underway between CMN and the UW-Madison Division of Extension, such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC)-funded Kemamaceqtaq: We’re All Moving project, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture NextGen project to build up the workforce in agriculture, natural resources, and forestry. CMN’s Nutrition Outreach Coordinator, Lizette Bailey, will add the resources of SNAP-Ed to her current position. Bailey says she is, “grateful to be a part of this historical partnership. I believe this is what our community needs now as well as our future generations. Strength through knowledge and healthy options.” FoodWIse's State Program Manager, Kathryn Boryc Smock, adds that “CMN is a leader in supporting food sovereignty in the community and we are excited for SNAP-Ed to help advance this important work.”
FoodWIse will continue programming in Menominee County/Nation and will work in collaboration with the College of Menominee Nation. CMN intends to focus on supporting youth and their families in learning more about Menominee food ways and connections to language and culture through healthy foods.
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The College of Menominee Nation is an accredited Tribal College that offers a variety of programs from technical diplomas to baccalaureate degrees. CMN has two campuses with locations in Keshena and Green Bay, Wisconsin, and is open to all.