Welcome to the Maryland Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) page. SNAP-Ed provides nutrition education to help low-income individuals and families make healthy food choices, develop food preparation skills, handle food safely, improve shopping skills, and increase physical activity. SNAP-Ed also provides nutrition education training to volunteers and professionals who provide services to low-income families, thus expanding the reach of the program.

SNAP-Ed educators collaborate with state and local organizations and often partner with many USDA food and nutrition programs such as WIC, the school lunch and breakfast program, HEAD START, and others to strengthen programming and ensure that key nutrition messages are consistent throughout USDA food and nutrition programs.

Maryland’s Supplement Nutrition Assistance and Education program (SNAP-Ed) offers nutrition education programs in five initiative areas.  These initiatives center on unique audiences and topic areas and are designed around specific outcomes.  Community based nutrition education has the most desired outcome when it is designed and implemented with the community and audience in mind.  The SNAP-Ed initiatives take into account the individual, their family and their community.  

Use the slideshow below to learn more about each of the 5 initiatives. 

Farm to Family Initiative

The Farm to Family Initiative is a comprehensive intervention at Farmers’ Markets to increase access and affordability of fruits and vegetables, and improve SNAP participants’ efficacy to select, store, prepare and eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Healthy Changes for Out of School Youth Initiative

The Healthy Changes for Out of School Youth Initiative is a comprehensive, multi-level intervention in out of school time settings serving low-income youth. Out of school time settings can be defined as places where kids spend their time before and after school, during school breaks, and over the summer, and it is critical to support low-income youth during these times.

Healthy School Communities

The Healthy School Communities Initiative is a comprehensive, multi-level intervention that addresses the school environment to impact behavior change among children, teachers, families and other members of the school community. Nutrition education is provided to youth and adults, and the initiative focuses on facilitating wellness-promoting activities for teachers and families of enrolled children.

Healthy Tots, Healthy Families

The Healthy Tots, Healthy Families Initiative is a comprehensive, multi-level intervention educating the preschool child, provider and parent while working to improve and change the preschool and childcare environment.

Securing Food Resources for Families

The Securing Food Resources for Families Initiative is a comprehensive, multi-level intervention at targeted venues where low income individuals and families access emergency food and food resources.