County Overview

Population

• Total Population 154,823 (2006)
• Lowest per capita income in NJ $28,834 (2006)
• 14.2% are below poverty guidelines (2004)
• Only 68.5% of residents over 25 years of age possess a high school diploma (2000).
• 11.3% of Cumberland County residents have less than a 9th grade education (2003)

Demographics (2006)

• 74.1% White
• 21.8% African American
• 22.7% Hispanic
• 2.3% Other

USDA SNAP Participating Families

• 5,220 households in Cumberland County including 12,521 individuals are SNAP participants

Cumberland County SNAP-Ed Project

Cumberland County ranks the lowest of the state's counties in income and education. As a result there is a great need for nutrition education and low literacy materials in Cumberland County. The project serves the needs of limited resource seniors and food stamp participants who are attending four-week job training programs as well as elementary age youth and parenting teens.

• Project Activities
  • To promote the SNAP-Ed Project and its statewide mission
  • To promote community involvement through parent Back-to-School nights, Parent Groups, health fairs and student assemblies.
  • To increase food security through nutrition education programs for SNAP eligible adults. SNAP eligible adults are identified through senior centers, work development centers, job training programs and other related program centers.
  • Improve and increase collaboration and cooperation among government agencies, non-profit organizations and private enterprise that work with limited resource audiences.
  • To improve the nutrition education services available to persons eligible to receive SNAP benefits in Cumberland County.
  • To solicit the participation of representatives of the collaborative target agencies and organizations.
  • To expand and enhance the Cumberland County SNAP-Ed Support Network
  • Network partners will meet on a regular basis to 1) assess present future needs for nutrition education in Cumberland County, 2) develop and implement methods to coordinate food stamp nutrition education more efficiently and cost effectively, 3) develop and implement methods to promote use and participation in the NJ SNAP-Ed by SNAP Benefit eligible residents of Cumberland County.

• Evaluation
  • The evaluation methodology, which is used includes an overall measurement of the impact of nutrition education amongst the senior population of Food Stamp program participants. The ERS reporting system is used for Pre and Post Diet Recalls and Behavioral Checklist. Only the Behavioral checklist is used in programs lasting less than 6 weeks. An evaluation report of the project will be submitted for possible publication in a peer reviewed Nutrition and/or Family and Consumer Sciences journal.

Collaborative Relationships

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cumberland County
Bethel Development Corporation
Bridgeton Public Schools
Commercial Township Public Schools
Cumberland County Office on Aging and Disabled
Cumberland County One Stop Career Center
IMPACT Program
Kintock Group
Luther Acres Senior Residence
Millville Congregate Housing Services
NJ After 3 Program
Spirit and Truth Ministries
Vineland Adult School
Vineland Public Schools
Vineland Senior Center

Contact

Carol Lodge, DTR 
Cumberland County SNAP-Ed
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cumberland County
291 Morton Ave.
Millville, NJ 08332
Phone: (856) 451-2800
Fax: (856) 451-4206
E-mail: lodge@njaes.rutgers.edu