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Dr. Mary
McPhail Gray developed and submitted a proposal for Kansas State
University to initiate
a Nutrition Network in Kansas. The grant was funded, providing
$200,000 from September 30, 1996 – March 31, 1999 to build
an integrated statewide network. Kansas became one of 22 states
to receive funding for a Network. “Creating a Nutrition Education Support Network for food
stamp eligible clientele [that] would combine the strengths of
the regulatory, service and educational systems in Kansas” was
the vision for this Network. “Redundancy of efforts can be
reduced and public and private funding can support education models
that have proven most powerful in changing behavior toward more
healthy and affordable nutrition choices.” Donita Cohorst was hired as the KNN Coordinator with Mary Gray
as the Director. The first KNN meeting was held in Topeka in March
1997, bringing together 21 people representing many agencies and
technical support consultants from Washington, DC. There soon followed
training in focus groups, implementation of focus groups, and many
meetings to discuss vision, social marketing, and other issues.
Mary Clark became the Director in 1998, and Paula Peters took over
in 1999. Also in 1999, Karen Fitzgerald became the KNN Coordinator,
Barb Roths was hired as the Assistant, and Sally Price joined the
staff as Office Manager. KNN adopted a new mission statement: Through social marketing
campaigns, mobilize limited income Kansans to use available nutrition
education and food resources. KNN focuses on five core components:
food safety, food security, shopping behavior/food resource management,
dietary quality, and systems and environmental changes. In January 1999, KNN hired Mary Christ-Erwin from Porter-Novelli
in Washington, DC as a consultant to help the Network refine its
vision and target audience, and begin to develop program plans.
This meeting proved to be a critical event for the Network. An initial campaign plan was developed and implemented
in the fall of 1999 highlighting Heartland SHARE. This campaign
was unique
because the tag lines were developed in both English and Spanish.
That is, they are not a translation from one language to another,
but are different tag lines. Since the initial grant funding, USDA funds KNN as a reimbursement
program, matching all private dollars, and inkind state, local
and county expenditures. A Steering Committee was formed in January
2000 to guide the progress of KNN. New Network partners were added
and new campaigns planned and implemented. The mission statement was again revised in 2003: Develop and expand
partnerships which (1) provide nutrition and physical activity
education, and (2) improve access to nutrition resources and nutrition
and physical activity programs to improve the health of low income
Kansans. Partner meetings are held every other month in
various locations around the state. (August 2003)
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