It’s important that our senior community members feel a connection with their community and have a place to gather and engage in learning opportunities. Town recreation and senior centers fulfill this need. The topic of food and nutrition and “What should I eat?” continually comes up with the aging population and many seniors want to be well-equipped with the knowledge and life skills to thrive into their older years.
CCE Monroe’s County Nutrition program aims to offer seniors at various community sites throughout the greater Rochester area with monthly or quarterly nutrition presentations. Partnering with local towns, CCE Monroe’s Nutrition Educator, Alyssa VanValkenburg tailors education to each group. Presentations have been offered in Chili, Hilton Parma, Sweden-Clarkson, Greece, Perinton, Pittsford, Fairport, and Webster.
“I can really appreciate the lived experience that seniors have,” Alyssa shares. “When broaching the topic of nutrition, I like to ask what insights people have about healthy food options and discuss the direct connection that food has with health.” Alyssa reflects that “many seniors share the changes they’ve gone through with downsizing or not wanting to cook as much. Holding a monthly class allows people to learn something new such as a new cooking technique or ideas of how to make easy and tasty meals. I’ve had many people share that they want to maintain or establish healthy lifestyle habits and attending a class supports their goal to do so.”
Funding for this program is provided in part through a collaboration with Monroe County and the MC Legislature with the goal of expanding nutrition education to include all Monroe County residents. The County Nutrition program provides skill-based nutrition education classes and events in local communities on topics such as healthy eating on a budget, smart shopping for vegetables and fruit, healthy meal planning, basic cooking and food safety skills, weight control and physical activity. The goals include eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking less sugar-sweetened beverages, exercising more, and balancing calories eaten as part of a healthy lifestyle.
For information about CCE Monroe’s nutrition offerings, visit https://monroe.cce.cornell.edu/
nutrition/county-nutrition-program.
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