NUTRITION EDUCATION OUTREACH PROJECT
FACT SHEET 2009
"Serving the communities of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville since 1998 to fight hunger and teach families nutrition skills”

MISSION: Strengthen the cognitive development of children by monitoring family nutrition through professionally supported, community-based nutrition education and on-going food science and diet research.

The Nutrition Education Outreach Project (NEOP) is a Brookline-based nutrition education outreach organization.

Our outreach included:

• Circulated recipe flyers for English, Spanish, and French speaking families highlighting ingredients, quantityand portion size.
• Distributed recipe flyers to encourage traditional and ethnic foods for non-native families.
• Facilitated a program of nutrition workshops for families with children.
• Coordinated cooking classes instructing families in how to prepare recipes.
• Established cooking classes for school-age children teaching them how to prepare recipes.

HISTORY: In 1988, a nutrition pilot program was established that later became know as the Nutrition Education Outreach Project.
The following year NEOP created an outreach program with six community partnerships. In 2000, NEOP expanded its program
by circulating flyers in Spanish and French. In 2001 and 2002, NEOP circulated holiday recipe flyer cook booklets in English, Spanish and French in Cambridge. In 2003, NEOP created client nutrition workshops at the Ruby Rogers Mental Health and Advocacy Center. In 2005, NEOP coordinated client-based cooking classes at the Ruby Rogers Mental Health and Advocacy Center and the Project Care & Concern. Growth continued in 2006 with the establishment of a program of cooking demos with the Union Square, Somerville Farmers Market. Expansion remained strong in 2007 with the establishment of a program of cooking demos at the Arlington and Quincy Farmers Market and also doing staff work for the Town of Arlington Human Services & Arlington Housing Authority Seconds Market, brining our total number of partnerships to 15.

SUCCESSES
In 2007; NEOP facilitated classes for 825 people, 10 percent of our total low-income client population 8,250.
In 2006; NEOP completed a client assessment in Roxbury, Massachusetts at the Grace& Hope Baptist Mission Food Pantry which showed a 30% client interest level in our recipes.
In 2005: NEOP developed a nutrition and health newsletter program.
In 2004; NEOP developed a publicity and promotion web blog page.
In 2003; NEOP distributed 1,500 English Second Language recipe flyers.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Cambridge:
-Cambridgeport Baptist Church
-Salvation Army
-East End House
-Massachusetts Avenue Baptist Church
-Cambridgeport Baptist Church
-St. Paul's Episcopal Methodist Church
Somerville:
-Ruby Rogers Mental Health and Advocacy Center
Boston:
-Grace & Hope Mission
-Project Care & Concern
-Pilgrim Church and Pilgrim Day Care Center
-Harbor Point Seniors Center
Quincy:
-Quincy Farmers Market
Arlington:
-Arlington Farmers Market
-Arlington Housing & Human Services Seconds Market

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
French Translators, Marketing Consultant, Program Development, Farmers Market Outreach Table, Cooking Consultant
Web Development, Accountant.

For further information contact NEOP weblog:
http://neopneop.blogstream.com
Also go to the Quincy Farmers Market Web page to read the NEOP page.
http://www.quincyfarmersmarket.com

Robert Sondak, NEOP Executive Director
• bosonma@yahoo.com . (617)-283-2532