The Grow Cook Eat (GCE) program graduated its second class on Dec. 17, 2013. 15 individuals completed the program and celebrated their accomplishments with dinner the Sherwood Hotel with staff and mentors. This Chenango United Way funded program was designed to give participants an integrated and holistic program so that the whole experience would be greater than the sum of its parts.

Each participant was provided with a community garden plot, container garden or support for gardening in their own yard. Each participant was paired with a Master Gardener Volunteer gardening mentor. Requirements for graduation included taking five gardening classes, six Eat Smart New York (ESNY) cooking and nutrition classes, three food preservation classes, three YMCA physical fitness classes, personal goal setting and evaluation sessions, and completing 10 hours of volunteer work in the community, including the Chenango United Way Day of Caring event.

“We recognized that people enrolled in the ESNY class were not signing up for garden plots and vise-versa,” said Community Gardens and GCE Coordinator Stacie Edick, “so we designed a program to facilitate that cross-pollination and further enhance it by incorporating the Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver Volunteer programs.”

Participants reported that they were eating healthier by using produce from their gardens, shopping at the farmers market or farm stands and using healthier recipes from ESNY or the internet. Many reported increased physical activity through gardening, YMCA classes and walking. They were also using coupons and saving money by checking sales and preparing a shopping list. And they are modeling these behaviors to their families, coworkers and students or clients.