Reaching Low-Income Audiences with Low-Income Volunteers

Extension has a commitment to work with low-income and minority families, but this audience isn't easy to reach. Nevertheless, training low-income and minority volunteers to reach this audience is working well in Stevens County, Washington. Low-income people who are "making it" have credibility that professionals often can't match.

Stevens County is located in the northeast corner of the state, bordering Canada on the north. It's a beautiful, scenic area with mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes. Recreation opportunities are plentiful, but undeveloped. Unfortunately, it's also a low-income area. The economic base is ranching, forest-related industries, and mining - all hard hit by the recession of the early '80s. The economy has improved, but unemployment continues well above the national average. The Spokane Indian Reservation occupies the southern end of the county. Unemployment there has hovered around 80%.

The Family Living Advisory Board identified up-to-date food preservation methods as a priority need. The staff decided to implement the Master Food Preserver program to meet this need. Since the county is nearly 100 miles long, volunteers were recruited as Master Food Preservers from all areas of the county. The goal was to have one or more highly trained volunteers who could be reached by a local call from any part of the county.

Volunteers were recruited through local newspapers, Extension Homemakers newsletters, and other agencies, including the Spokane Indian Housing Authority. After the first year, the trained volunteers did most of the recruiting.

Applicants weren't screened and anyone who filled out an application form and agreed to the commitment was accepted. The commitment included agreeing to: (1) attend all training sessions and pass a final exam, (2) give out only information that's approved by the USDA and Washington State University, and (3) give a minimum of 40 hours a year of volunteer teaching time.

The current eight food advisors are representative of the volunteers over the years. Their annual incomes range from $6,000 to $15,000. Family size varies from a single parent with one child to a family of six. One of the volunteers is Native American.

The training was hands-on experiences along with a theoretical background, and was made as nonthreatening as possible. Part of the orientation was to discuss the questions that would be on the final exam. The information was presented at an easy pace that allowed time for personal sharing. (Goal-oriented people can become frustrated with this.) An important part of the process was for volunteers to get to know one another to form a strong support group. This resulted in some strong friendships and a group that works well together. There was no charge for the training or training materials. The participants brought their own supplies, including produce, and took the finished products home. They got a great feeling of accomplishment and pride in taking the food home to show and share with their friends and families.

After the original 30 hours of training, volunteers continued to meet once a month for additional training in food safety, food-borne illnesses, and any area where they felt they needed more training. They actively participated in planning training sessions. The meetings were held in their homes, and everyone contributed to potluck lunches. Time was planned for inspecting gardens, root cellars, cold frames, etc.

This year, volunteers with three to five years of Master Food Preserver training went into a food advisors program. In addition to food preservation, they'd already received extensive training in food safety and food-borne illnesses. As food advisors, they received further training on food safety, basic nutrition, food shopping, and preparation of donated and commodity foods, including textured vegetable protein. In addition, they were taught leadership skills to support them as they moved into their trainer roles.

To date, food advisors have trained volunteer staff in six county food banks in methods of food preparation and food safety. They've done workshops in high school home economics classes, at senior centers, and at a day care center for the mentally ill. They've also set up displays at commodity distribution sites and at WIC (Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program) Clinics. WIC is a program that provides supplemental food and counseling for low-income pregnant or lactating women and children who are diagnosed as nutritionally deficient. In addition to providing a tasting of the prepared food, a cookbook, and a sample of the dry food to take home, they also talked to WIC clientele about combining vegetable proteins and ways to stretch their food budget.

Over the past year, food advisors have reached 500 low-income, 25 mentally disabled, and 108 youth. Three volunteers have worked intensively with two families referred by the Spokane Indian Health Department.

Evidence of practice change has been clientele calling volunteers for additional recipes. Our favorite success story is from the day care center for the mentally ill. Residents served lasagna made with textured vegetable protein to the candidates for the director of mental health position, with everyone saying the dish was very good.

Expenses for this activity were covered by grants from Hands Across American and the Washington state Department of Community Development. The Washington and Idaho Dry Pea and Lentil Commission donated 20 pounds of lentils to be used for demonstrations. The commission has also supplied a variety of recipes for distribution. It's especially important to provide transportation expenses for low-income volunteers in rural areas. They're sometimes put in the position of having to choose between whether to volunteer or buy food.

The success of this program is due to a nontraditional training style that's comfortable for low-income and minority audiences. Reviewing the final exam sets the stage for a successful volunteer experience. The low-key training style and sharing personal experiences creates an atmosphere where friendships can develop. The personal sharing also validates each individual as being important and having something to contribute. For Extension staff, remembering that the volunteers have limited resources and that this has a direct impact on their ability to volunteer was vital to the program's success.