Maine SNAP-Ed, implemented by the university through a contract with Maine’s Office for Family Independence, addresses food security and wellness in low-resource settings across the state. The funding comes from the USDA and is granted to over 160 agencies throughout the nation. Implementing agencies include universities, non-profits, state health and agriculture departments, and tribal-serving organizations. The Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators (ASNNA) brings member implementing agencies together annually to advance best practices.
The conference theme was “Transforming Tomorrow Together: Building on 30 Years of SNAP-Ed.” The history of SNAP-Ed funding was highlighted, along with emerging innovative approaches to alleviate hunger through equitable programming. CEPH staff presented on work related to program evaluation, social marketing and media, and COVID-19 impact on program delivery. Panel presentations highlighted work completed this past year through research and practice collaborations with academic peers from more than a dozen partnering universities. CEPH’s Senior Research Associates Pamela Bruno, MPH, and Kira Rodriguez, MHS, contributed to presentations, as did Hannah Ruhl, MPH, the program’s Obesity Prevention Coordinator. CEPH’s Tasha Gerken-Nelson, MS, RD, Senior Nutrition Program Coordinator, co-chaired the conference planning committee.
The following presentations were shared at the 2022 ASNNA Virtual Annual Conference:
Pamela Bruno co-authored and presented the plenary session Keeping the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework on the Leading Edge – How ASNNA Practitioners Can Influence Excellence in SNAP-Ed Planning, summarizing evaluation findings using mixed methods to examine the uptake of a practitioner-driven framework for the nation’s largest nutrition education program.
Hannah Ruhl co-authored and presented A SNAP-Ed Social Marketing Recipe for Success, an overview of social marketing best practices and a template for states to tailor and implement successful campaigns.
Pamela Bruno co-authored and presented Collaboratively Strengthening Sectors of Influence-Level Indicators Through Group Learning and Reflection, a summary of practitioner focus group findings designed to inform best practices for sector-level work to address food security and health.
Pamela Bruno co-authored Reporting on COVID-19 Approaches, Outcomes, and Impact Using an Infographic Template, summarizing results of a national effort to coordinate dissemination of evaluation findings specific to pandemic-related SNAP-Ed interventions.
Hannah Ruhl, Kira Rodriguez, and Pamela Bruno co-authored Social Capital – How SNAP-Ed’s greatest asset proves key to pandemic innovation and success, examining how the concept of social capital can be applied to interventions, evaluation, and training to lift up the power of community engagement.
For more information on Maine SNAP-Ed or presentations shared at the 2022 ASNNA Annual Conference, contact Lori Kaley, MS, RDN, LD, MSB, Program Manager, Maine SNAP-Ed, CEPH, 207.221.4551 | lkaley@une.edu