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Houlton, Maine

Maine SNAP-Ed educator promotes outdoor learning in northern Maine

A woman stands at a booth in a Houlton, Maine park
Jennie Schools, Maine SNAP-Ed nutrition educator for Central Aroostook County
Read more in The County
Learn more about SNAP-Ed at UNE

Jennie Schools, Maine SNAP-Ed nutrition educator for Central Aroostook County, was recently featured in The County for her policy, systems, and environmental  PSE) change StoryWalk initiative. 

A StoryWalk is an outdoor trail that has pages of a children’s book displayed on posts along the path. Books used for the StoryWalk will be from a collection of SNAP-Ed approved books that focus on nutrition education and physical activity messages. This initiative encourages physical activity, reading, and nutrition education, and serves as an environmental change to promote wellness in the Central Aroostook community. 

Schools worked with the Houlton Town Council to approve the installation of the StoryWalk at the Meduxnekeag River Trail that begins at the town’s Riverfront Park. Schools is currently working with community partners to complete the StoryWalk installation by this summer, and she plans to feature new books seasonally. 

Schools said she drew from her experiences as a mother and former school educator in combining literacy with outdoor recreation when designing the PSE initiative. 

“The StoryWalk project allows for family engagement and togetherness, builds on encouraging literacy, and provides a fun way to enjoy a story, all the while promoting physical activity in a beautiful outdoor location,” Schools remarked. “I hope that this will promote a fun way for families and people of all ages to take an interest in the trail, getting physically active, and enjoying the story together.

Maine SNAP-Ed, implemented by UNE’s Center for Excellence in Public Health through a contract with Maine’s Office for Family Independence, addresses nutrition security and wellness in low-resource settings across the state. The funding comes from the USDA and is granted to over 160 agencies throughout the nation. Implementing agencies include universities, nonprofits, state health and agriculture departments, and Tribal entities.

For more information about SNAP-Ed programming, please contact Stephanie Zahares at szahares@une.edu.

Media Contact

Alan Bennett
Office of Communications
abennett11@une.edu

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