Our county's Extension home economics program is committed to providing information to help families deal with the complex issues of today.

Our programs focus on:

• Improving consumer and family skills
• Building leadership skills

We teach through:

• Local programs
• Community projects
• Group training sessions

Learn more about Extension programs and resources:

• Extension Family & Consumer Sciences
• Extension Health & Family Well-Being
• Cooperative Extension Service

Nutrition Education

New Mexico has the highest rate of poverty in the nation with 25% of New Mexicans living below poverty (US Bureau of the Census). Guadalupe County is ranked one of the poorest in the state with 76% of single female headed households living at or below poverty level. Low income populations face numerous problems associated with inadequate nutrition. In some cases, children do not eat enough to sustain health and to grow and develop at optimal levels. Even more commonly, individuals make poor food choices, which can lead to chronic disease problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Although benefits such as SNAP and WIC provide vital resources to some of those in need of food assistance, this resource is often not maximized. This is often due to recipients' lack of knowledge of the relationships between health and four areas: basic nutrition, food safety, food preparation, and food resource management. In addition, many limited-resource individuals do not receive the encouragement and reinforcement needed to put such knowledge into practice. Education can help low income families and individuals maximize their resources to improve their nutritional status.