Nutrition Education Outreach Project

Nutrition Education
Outreach Project

“Serving the communities of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville since 1998 to fight hunger and teach families nutrition skills”

The Nutrition Education Outreach Project (NEOP) is a Brookline-based nutrition education outreach organization.

Robert Sondak prepares
farm fresh food for a

tasting at a local
farmers' market.

Mission:

Strengthen the cognitive development of children by monitoring family nutrition through professionally supported, community-based nutrition education and on-going food science and diet research.

History:

In 1988, a nutrition pilot program was established that later became know as the Nutrition Education Outreach Project.
The following year NEOP created an outreach program with six community partnerships. In 2000, NEOP expanded its program
by circulating flyers in Spanish and French. In 2001 and 2002, NEOP circulated holiday recipe flyer cook booklets in English, Spanish and French in Cambridge. In 2003, NEOP created client nutrition workshops at the Ruby Rogers Mental Health and Advocacy Center. In 2005, NEOP coordinated client-based cooking classes at the Ruby Rogers

Robert Sondak's wonderful tastings and recipies make

nutritional information easy to understand and interesting --

and good tasting too!

Mental Health and Advocacy Center and the Project Care & Concern. Growth continued in 2006 with the establishment of a program of cooking demos with the Union Square, Somerville Farmers Market. Expansion remained strong in 2007 with the establishment of a program of cooking demos at the Arlington and Quincy Farmers Market and also doing staff work for the Town of Arlington Human Services & Arlington Housing Authority Seconds Market, brining our total number of partnerships to 15.

Our outreach included:

Circulated recipe flyers for English, Spanish, and French speaking families highlighting ingredients, quantity and portion size.

Distributed recipe flyers to encourage traditional and ethnic foods for non-native families.

Facilitated a program of nutrition workshops for families with children.

Coordinated cooking classes instructing families how to prepare recipes.

Established cooking classes for school-age children teaching them how to prepare recipes.

Successes:

In 2007; NEOP facilitated classes for 825 people, 10 percent of our total low-income client population 8,250.

In 2006; NEOP completed a client assessment in Roxbury, Massachusetts at the Grace& Hope Baptist Mission Food Pantry which showed a 30% client interest level in our recipes.

In 2005: NEOP developed a nutrition and health newsletter program.

In 2004; NEOP developed a publicity and promotion web blog page.

In 2003; NEOP distributed 1,500 English Second Language recipe flyers.

Community Partnerships:

Ruby Rogers Mental Health and Advocacy Center

Salvation Army Cambridge

East End House

Massachusetts Avenue Baptist Church

Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee

St. Paul's Episcopal Methodist Church

Grace & Hope Baptist Mission

Project Care & Concern