KARLA SHELNUTT
(Dietetic Internship, 1998; MS in Clinical Nutrition, 2000)
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U.S. Department of Agriculture survey says one in nine Americans struggle with hunger. Government data shows over 2.3 million Americans live more than a mile from a grocery store and do not have a car. Finding affordable fresh food has never been easy for some and their struggles are exponentially worse during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Many families across the U.S. take advantage of meal kits but they are not affordable, nor available, for families on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Karla Shelnutt, PhD, RD, (DI, 1998, Clinical Nutrition, 2000) is an associate professor at the University of Florida and is working to change that. “My research focuses on food insecurity and food access so I’m trying to figure out the best approach to provide meal kits for low income families that incorporates healthy recipes and fresh produce that families can prepare together,” said
Shelnutt. “Once we find a model that works, I can then disseminate it through the extension system and teach families how to access the food and use the recipes.” UF is a Land Grant University – it receives federal and state support to teach, conduct research, and translate science into educational programs for the community. Shelnutt’s role includes being state program leader for nutrition where a majority of her time is spent serving as the PI for UF/IFAS Extension’s Family Nutrition Program (FNP), which provides nutrition education and support
Hearty Spinach Salad
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Associate Professor and Extension Nutrition Specialist, State Program Leader for Nutrition, University of Florida
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for families eligible for SNAP. This program reaches more than 100,000 people in 40 counties. “So many people today do not have cooking skills anymore so we are going back to the basics to teach families how to do this easily,” said Shelnutt. “We partner with groups who are stakeholders in a community and we bring a series-based education program – six classes of nutrition for children in school and cooking for people – directly to the community.” In 2019, Shelnutt went even further. She decided to provide healthy food to low income families that they can prepare together with their families. As part of research, she and her team conducted a pilot study to feed and analyze data of 36 families in Alachua County where the university is located. The program provided three meals (four servings per meal) every week for six weeks. In addition to the food, the kit included a recipe card with photos, cooking directions and nutrition facts. And they kept