USU's Home Visiting Program Brings Families to the Table

A $1,000 grant from the Logan Sam’s Club is helping the Cache County Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program build stronger family bonds and better nutrition.

The Spark Good Local Grant supplements the cost of nutritious meals the program shares with its enrolled families and community members. The purpose of the gathering is many-fold: teaching families how to prepare nutritious meals on a budget, giving families a positive experience with no pressure to provide the meal themselves, and offering participants a taste of the wonderful, bonding experience a good meal can be.

“We are trying to leverage our program’s reach and resources to support all of them in learning what helps make a balanced meal,” said program coordinator Cari Gongora.

The program serves people from many income backgrounds, she said, but some are truly feeling the effects of high food prices on tight budgets with little time to cook. Some have to make hard decisions, like choosing convenience foods over nutritious ones or even skipping meals.

Once a quarter, she hopes to literally bring families to the table for a supportive, delicious experience. The first of four dinner-gatherings will take place later this summer.

The Cache County MIECHV program is part of the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice within the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University. Its purpose is to support families and promote their resilience and healthy child development. Families can enroll from pregnancy through the child’s entry into Kindergarten.

To enroll in the dinners or other MIECHV services, contact Cari Gongora.