Thankfully, There's a New Way to Stretch Food Budgets

Lynn Paul
MSU Extension Nutrition Specialist

01/14/98 BOZEMAN -- As thanks and feasting dominate our thoughts, Montanans on food stamps also have something to be thankful for: a nutrition education program intended to help them best use their food resources.

The new federally funded Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program serves 24 Montana counties, says Phyllis Dennee, Montana's FSNEP director at Montana State University.

"No one would say it's easy to make food last all month for a family qualifying for food stamps," says Dennee. "But this program is one of the best ways I can think of to help people on food stamps to have the best nutrition at the least expense."

The new program serves 24 Montana counties and is intended to give people up-to-date nutrition information and tips on economical use of foods. Those counties are Glacier, Toole, Pondera, Teton, Cascade, Judith Basin, Fergus, Petroleum, Wheatland, Golden Valley, Musselshell, Roosevelt, Richland, Custer, Big Horn, Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Jefferson, Powell, Granite, Missoula, Mineral, Lake.

"We have a lot of people who have to economize on their food budgets," adds Terry Egan, the FSNEP coordinator headquartered in Billings. Montana had 97,000 people living below the poverty level in 1994. Montana ranks in the bottom 20 percent among states in per capita income.

This nutrition program is an integral part of the plan to help low income people move toward being self sufficient, says Dennee. As such, FSNEP will work closely with the state Department of Public Health and Human Services in its Families Achieving Independence in Montana or "FAIM" program.

FSNEP nutrition assistants are coordinated by MSU Extension county agents.

The following individuals were doing FSNEP education as of 12/1/97:

• Glacier County 406 873-2239 Kathy Tatsey
• Lake County 406 676-4271 Diane Grant
• Missoula/Mineral Counties 406 721-4095 Tom Woodward
• Pondera/Teton/Toole 406 278-4054 Christine Peterson
• Silver Bow/ Jefferson/ Beaverhead/ 406 723-8262 Brandi Sweeney & Irene DesRosier
• Deer Lodge/ Powell/ Granite/ 406 563-4035 Marjee Zeier
• Cascade 406 454-6980 Beth Fernandez
• Petroleum/ Fergus 406 538-3919 Jill Merkel
• Golden Valley/ Musselshell/ Wheatland 406 323-2704 Donna Marsh
• Judith Basin 406 566-2211 Doreen Caquelin
• Big Horn 406 665-1405 Shirley Redding
• Custer County 406 233-3370 Kay Weischedel
• Richland County 406 482-1206 Judy Johnson
• Roosevelt County 406 787-5312 Melba Anderson

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