Harriet Bennett will help coordinate delivery of nutrition information to about 960 households in Gadsden Green Homes, Meeting Street Manor and Extension, Marion Stroble Center, Wraggsborough Homes and Extension, and Kiawah Homes. The Charleston project is one of eight nationwide. Bennett will be housed in the Berkeley County Extension Office at Moncks Corner and teach nutrition classes after school at the HUD apartments. She earned her B.S. degree in psychology and sociology from Charleston Southern University last September. About 150 children are being reached now with an after-school tutoring program.
Children are implementers.
Teach them and they'll use the information. Bennett, the mother of four, said practicing good nutrition habits throughout one's lifetime can help prevent health problems such as obesity, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Under an agreement signed Feb. 13 by federal, state and local officials from USDA, DHEC, Clemson Extension, the Junior League of Charleston and the Charleston Housing Authority, several health and nutrition programs will be offered in-house at the five apartment complexes. The Summer Food Service Program, which offers low-income meals for children during school vacation, will be offered under the pilot program, as well as nutrition programs for the elderly. Bennett will also be conducting some training for personnel involved in some of those programs.