Resources for Addressing Food Access for Military Families

About This Webinar:

Food insecurity describes a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is one way we can measure and assess the risk of hunger. In the United States currently, 1 in 9 people struggle with hunger.

This webinar discusses the resources available through the Extension and Land Grant university system and the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) to increase proper nutrition for those working with vulnerable military service members. We look at specific data from research around food insecurity among Veterans, and explore information on federal programs available to increase food access for military families, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance.

Presenters

Dr. Karla Shelnutt is an Associate Professor, Extension Nutrition Specialist, and Registered Dietitian in the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences. She also serves as the State Program Leader for Nutrition for UF/IFAS Extension. Dr. Shelnutt’s research focuses on addressing food insecurity, developing evaluation tools to assess the healthfulness of low-income neighborhoods, and assessing the impact of nutrition curriculum on health behaviors.

Dr. Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth is a Distinguished Professor of Human Development & Family Studies, the Director of the Center for Families, the Director of the Military Family Research Institute, and the Executive Director of the Family Impact Institute at Purdue University. Her primary research interest is in the relationships between work conditions and family life. She has studied differences between small and large workplaces, how adults grow and develop as a result of their work experiences, and how different kinds of organizational policies make it easier or more difficult for workers to be successful at work and at home.

Dr. Heather Eicher-Miller is an Associate Professor at Purdue University. Dr. Eicher-Miller’s research is focused on food insecurity which affects 12% of U.S. households and creates uncertainty regarding the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods.

Kirsten O’Nell is the Health & Wellness Coordinator at the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). Kristin has an MS in Human Resource Development, from Drexel University, which focuses on using small interventions to improve performance, something she currently uses to assist the Commissary’s Health and Wellness program.

Learning Objectives:

After participating in this webinar participants will:

1. Define food security and distinguish the difference between the four levels of food security
2. Describe the national prevalence of food insecurity
3. Identify potential collaborations with Land Grant Universities and Cooperative Extension
4. Describe patterns of food insecurity among veterans.
5. Identify resource gaps among veterans.
6. Recognize patterns of food insecurity among military families.

Continuing Education (CE) Credit

CEs for RDNs are no longer available for this event.

CEs from NCFR, AFCPE and FinCert.org are no longer available for this event.

Click here to receive a Certificate of Attendance (Certificate not approved for continuing education credits).

Event Materials

Webinar Slides (PDF)

Webinar Flyer (PDF)

Webinar Resources for Addressing Food Access in Military Families (PDF)

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