march 14, 2023 – National nutrition month, tax credits

Audio recording here

National Nutrition Month (Stephanie Polizzi, RDN - stephanie.polizzi@oregonstate.edu)

  • Free community resources on nutrition abound!

  • Extension website for nutrition resources: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/coos/healthy-families-communities

    • Alzheimer’s Walk information

    • Healthy Bytes Initiative - archive of Nutrition Education Campaign highlighting one healthy food monthly. Resources include 11 x 17" and 8 1/2 x 11" color posters, handouts with recipes, and 8-10 PowerPoint slides for use in lobbies or waiting rooms. Free electronic distribution.

    • Nutrition Resource Guide - local food and meal access, agriculture and gardening resources, nutrition education and contacts for local health coaches. Online resources include links for nutrition and disease, cookbooks, trainings for consumers, CMEs for professional development and helpful web links.

    • Wellness Education for Cancer Nutrition: a local study funded by OHSU Knight Cancer Institute to improve the intake of fruits, vegetables and other plant foods in Coos County.

    • Food that Fight Cancer - Evidence suggests 40-55% of cancers can be attributed to dietary factors. Another 1/3 of cancer risk is attributed to co-morbidities like heart disease and diabetes. All these factors are modifiable with a healthy diet.

  • Coos Head Food Co-Op website resources: https://coosheadfood.coop/join-us

    • Nutrition Resource Guide, Nutrition Assessment Tool

    • Pea PODCast (POD=Prevention Of Disease) highlighting work from OHSU students and interns. Includes cooking tips and recipes, nutrition and diet information, information for healthcare providers, multicultural cooking information, and cooking/nutrition info for kids.

    • Check out Stephanie’s “EZ Peasy by Polizzi” short nutrition videos!

  • Five peer reviewed and published nutrition and disease handouts on plant based foods - first out of OHSU! Congrats Stephanie!

  • Community partner nutrition programs

    • Starla - Curry Food & Nutrition group led by Olivia Davis is revving up again - contact Olivia if you would like to participate. Lots of opportunities to share resources and information across counties.

    • Jamar - The BEET Food Systems Consortium supports the community refrigerator at Coos Bay Public Library, Double Up Food Bucks at Coos Head Food Co-Op, working on mobile food pantry plan. Contact

    • Jim Behrends - North Bend Senior Center serves free lunch for 60+ on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (11:30am-12pm). Reminder that many local senior centers are open again for service!

Grants for Tax Education, Navigation, Preparation - Meg Reinhold (ODHS Tax Program Coordinator, meg.reinhold@odhs.oregon.gov)

  • Creating a statewide infrastructure for tax navigation and preparation to meet people where they are (CBOs, rural community associations, tribal locations).

  • HB4117:

    • Funding for culturally specific and responsive organizations, tribal governments, and under-resources rural community service organizations.

    • Must be used to help low-income residents.

    • SCBEC assists with tax preparation now (see https://www.southcoastbusiness.org/free-tax-preparation/); in the next session OSU will offer tax preparation services for every county.

    • CBOs interested in helping with any of these services should contact Meg!

  • Coming soon:

    • DIY tax prep

    • Equipment grants

    • Learning cohorts

    • High school program for career development

Welcome to our new participants

  • Jim Behrends - wearer of many hats in Coos County!

  • Welcome back Stephanie and Char!

Community partner updates - all flyers can be found here