AssessingandAddressingCommunityNeedsinaRuralAreaInPartnershipwiththeNewEnglandPublicHealthTrainingCenter

PurposeThisworkrevolvedaroundstrengtheningcommunityhealthinRindge,NewHampshire.Researchfocusedonidentifyingbarrierstohealthybehaviorandintroducinginterventionmethodstoovercomethesebarriers.

AssessmentandObservationObservationwaskeyinthedeterminationofidealwaystopositivelyimpactthecommunity. Thebestwaytoobservethecommunitywastogetinvolved.Halfoftheproject’stimewasspentatthepantryconnectingwithnewpeople. Onegoalfocusedonunderstandandidentifyingthedifferencebetweentherootcauseofaproblemandarootcauseofasymptom.

BarrierstoHealth• Transportationtremendouslyimpacts

accesstofood.• Exposuretoallthepeopleinvolved

withtheRindgepantryhighlightedthisissue.

• Thepantry’slackofresourcestoprovidehealthyfoodandextendoperationhours.

• Limitationsofthevolunteerstoaccessandprovidefederalfood.

• Incompleteeducationsurroundingproperfoodhandling.

AddressingCommunityHealth:InterventionHighlights.- OrganizedafooddrivetoconnecttheFranklinPiercecommunitywiththelocalcommunityduringtheholidayseason.

- Created andputupflyersaroundcampus.- Placedfooddonationboxesatvariouslocations- Transported,recorded,andshelveddonateditems.

- Assembledaninformationalguidetocookingandstoringholidayturkeysandhams.

- CreatedafactsheetfortheGotLunchprograminaformatthatiseasilyunderstandable.

- Createdrecipesusingitemstypicallyfoundatthefoodpantry.

- CreatedabrochurewithfrequentlyaskedquestionsfromtheUSDAtargetedtoquestionspantryuserswereasking.

- Distributedothereducationalresourcessuchas:• -ColdfoodStorage• -Howtoproperlycookmeat• -Whatfoodlabelingmeans• -Shelflifeofcannedfoods`

ProjectTakeaways:• Thereisastigmaassociatedwithfoodinsecurity.Overcomingitwillhelpcommunitiestogrowwithavailableresources.• Helpingacommunityovercometheirbarriersrequiresdeterminingrootproblems,utilizingavailableresources,andtaking

smallstepstowarddevelopingaplantoaddressbiggerissues.• Theimportanceofrelationshipsinpantrieshelpstoalleviatethestigmaassociatedwithfoodinsecurity.

AshleyHaluch,SeniorPublicHealthMajorSpecialThanksto:StellaWallingandCraigJensenoftheFoodPantry

InternshipSupportedbyNHPHAandRindgeFoodPantryFacultySponsor:LauraChristoph,PHD,PublicHealthCoordinator