Today, we’d like to highlight the wonderful things that NC State Extension is doing to support communities of faith in Halifax County!
As a result of the designation as a Healthy Places for Healthy People community in 2018, the Town of Weldon worked with several partners to develop an action plan for improving health. This action plan includes improving access to healthy food and creating a walkable, healthy, economically vibrant downtown and neighborhoods to improve health, protect the environment, and support economic growth.
One of the goals for the action plan is to “connect nutrition education to real life experience through expanded programming.” In August of 2019, Lauren Morris (Halifax County FCS Agent and Steps to Health Nutrition Educator) partnered to assist Weldon with their goals and offered Faithful Families to Evangelistic Church of Deliverance, which is located right in the heart of downtown Weldon.
A few organizations partnered with the town of Weldon, including Steps to Health, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, and the Halifax County Center.
Nineteen people participated in the three-month program to learn how to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Although never easy, the Weldon community made several healthy changes as a result of Faithful Families, including:
- Evangelistic Church of Deliverance always provides water and fruit at gatherings.
- Participants verbalized their enjoyment of learning new recipes and how they will incorporate these recipes at their gatherings.
- Through the program, participants identified outreach opportunities to promote physical activity, healthy eating, and chronic disease management not only within their congregation but also for the community as a whole.
To continue these efforts, several steps are currently underway. One specific action item is to partner with the Town of Weldon and a local coalition to submit an application for a Safe Routes to Parks grant, since the site is within a 5-minute walk to the park. Another specific action plan is to work with food pantries in the area to provide nutrition and cooking education to clients.
We’re excited for you! Keep up the good work Halifax County!
