Two years ago, a vital piece of community health returned to our area. In October 2024, a powerful partnership with Healthy Together Cleveland brought the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) back to Cleveland County after years of vacancy.

This resurgence was made possible through Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas (HPHC) funds. By funding a portion of the salary for a new EFNEP educator, this organization directly invested in our community's well-being. HPHC funds are specifically designed to champion coalition development, physical activity, nutrition, chronic disease prevention, and health equity—and that is exactly what this investment achieved.

With the funding secured, Cleveland County Cooperative Extension welcomed Kayley Warren as our new EFNEP educator. Kayley joined Extension with a deep passion for offering positive encouragement to adults and youth regarding their health—a passion she continues to fuel while working toward her BS degree in Agricultural Education.

Supported by the Healthy Together Cleveland coalition, County Extension Director Greg Traywick, EFNEP Programmatic Supervisor Carla Dockery, and a dedicated team of Extension agents, Kayley has made incredible strides in reaching limited resource families and school aged children with free, hands-on health education. Through dynamic lessons focused on diet quality, physical activity, food safety, and savvy food resource management, Kayley makes healthy living both accessible and fun.

In just two short years, the re-established EFNEP program has delivered life-changing results across Cleveland County, serving 37 families and nearly 1,000 local youth. The data reflects the profound impact of this program: Of the adult participants, 76% showed improvement in their food resource management skills (the ability to stretch their food dollars). Also, 53% began exercising on more days of the week. Of the youth participants, 86% improved their diet quality, 61% improved their participation in physical activity, and 55% improved their food safety knowledge.

We are immensely grateful to Healthy Together Cleveland for their foundational financial support and their invaluable work in connecting EFNEP to vital community partners. Their early belief in this program set the stage for these amazing success stories.

While the initial grant has now concluded, the future of the program remains bright. We extend our deepest appreciation to the Cleveland County Government for stepping in to sustain this initiative. Because of their commitment to the health of our citizens, EFNEP will continue to empower, educate, and uplift Cleveland County families for years to come!