Supper in a Sack

Supper in a Sack is a unique hands-on nutrition program that teaches participants nutrition and lifestyle skills to help them become healthier and more productive.

Income eligible participants learn to prepare an entire meal, from planning the menu, shopping for the food, and preparing a nutritious, healthy meal for their families.

“Supper in a Sack empowers people to expand their opportunities. It not only teaches nutrition education, it teaches women and men to be better people,” said Belinda Owens, Nutrition Outreach Instructor in the Monongalia County Extension office. “The women learn to cook, learn to bond and communicate and are linked to other community services and resources to help their families.”

Participants in the six-week program meet as a group once a week for four hours. The program includes nutrition education, meal preparation and life skills presentations such as budgeting, parenting, and stress management. From its beginnings in 1999, nearly 100 clients have completed the six-week sessions, which are offered in the spring and fall of each year.

The program is a joint venture between the WVU Extension Service Family Nutrition Program, which conducts the nutrition education portion, and St. Ursala’s Food Pantry and Outreach Program, which refers the participants, promotes the program to the community, and links participants with other resources within the community.

Owens follows a “Cent$ible Nutrition” curriculum. Not only does she teach meal preparation, she also takes the clients shopping to help them learn to make healthy and less expensive food choices. At the end of each session, the participants take home a grocery bag filled with the foods necessary to prepare the same meal for their families, thus the name, “Supper in a Sack.”