Mission Nutrition Program

3015 N Oakwood Ave

Muncie , IN 47304
756-555-2222
mission@nutrition.com

Dear Selection Committee,

Thank you for taking the time to examine our grant application. We hope you find
that our program plan exceeds the requirements youve set for awarding funding.
Wed like to thank you all for taking the time to provide funding for programs with
the aim of improving nutrition in young people. We look forward to hearing from
you.
Sincerely,
Muncie Mission Nutrition Program Facilitators

McKenna Bireley, Alyssa Ham, Quinn Wease, & Julie Hayden

Mission Nutrition: Nutrition Education for Muncie Community Elementary Schools
4/1/15

Executive Summary
Our program of Mission Nutrition aims to increase the number and variety of fruits and vegetables that
are consumed by elementary school students. Our organization has created a program that we plan to implement
in all nine Muncie Community Elementary Schools. We plan to educate each grade about nutrition through
games and activities during lunch periods. These sessions will include samples of fresh fruits and vegetables
purchased from the local farmers market at Minnestrista. Implementing this program in the elementary schools
will increase the students knowledge on healthy eating choices, as well as, bring some entertainment through
healthy competition between grade levels. We hope to make eating a variety of fruits and vegetables a fun and
flavorful experience for students. The ultimate goal is to improve the nutrition of students at the schools.
Background Information
According to Dr. John Mersch, 18% of children are obese vastly due to an imbalance of caloric intake
versus expenditure. Within the city of Muncie, 30% of children live in poverty, which contributes to the rising
number of obese children (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2015). With the dawning age of
technology, children are becoming more sedentary. According to the Obesity Action Coalition, children who are
considered obese are 70 percent more likely to continue to be obese into adulthood. This is largely due to poor
nutrition and the lack of physical activity. The majority of children do not receive the recommended servings of
fruits and vegetables daily. This is because many children do not like the taste or do not have access to fruits or
vegetables. Poor nutrition can lead to increased risk for obesity, cancers, poor overall health, bad mood, poor
cognitive functioning and academic performance (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Children
need to be taught at an early age about nutrition in order for it to have the greatest impact on their future
lifestyle.
The Muncie Mission Nutrition Program will reach approximately 2,620 elementary aged students in the
nine elementary schools. With this rising population of young and impressionable youth, our aim is to increase
the number and variety of fruits and vegetables eaten through fun and engaging educational programs.

Goal, Objectives, and Significance

Goal:
The goal of the Mission Nutrition Program is to increase the number and variety of fruits and vegetables
eaten by students at nine Muncie, Indiana elementary schools. This will be done by providing engaging and fun
nutrition educational programs and fresh produce samples during school lunches.
Objectives:
1. Increase the number of elementary school students at Muncie Community Schools who state that they
eat more than one serving of more than one type of vegetable on most days, 4 of 7 days of the week, by 5% by
the end of the program.
2. Increase the number of elementary school students at Muncie Community Schools who state that they
eat more than one serving of more than one type of fruit on most days, 4 of 7 days of the week, by 5% by the
end of the program.
3. Increase the number of students who students at Muncie Community Schools who report that theyve
talked to their parents about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables by 8% by the end of the program.
4. Increase the number of elementary school students at Muncie Community Schools who report they
know that they are supposed to have 3-5 servings of vegetables per day by 5% by the end of the program.
5. Increase the number of elementary school students at Muncie Community Schools who can list 2
different reasons why they need to eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables everyday by 10% at
the end of the program.
6. Increase the number of elementary school students at Muncie Community Schools who report they
know what the appropriate a serving size of fruits and vegetables is by 10% at the end of the program.
7. Increase the number of elementary school students at Muncie Community Schools who report they
know that they know how to clean fresh vegetables and fruits before they eat them by 15% by the end of the
program.

Methods and timeline

How often: We will spend one day at each of the nine schools three times during the school year. In that
day we will present a program that is appropriate for the grade level attending the lunch period. We will present
our program to all lunch periods. We will visit the schools at the beginning of the school year to discuss what
fruits and vegetables are in season and more readily available during the late summer. We will visit the schools
in the winter months to present on fruits and vegetables that are in season and more readily available at the time.
We will make our third visit in the mid-spring to present on the fruits and vegetables available then. We hope
that visiting schools multiple times will improve students retention of the knowledge and skill we teach.
Marketing: Our program committee will be advertising our program through letters, emails, and face-toface contact around the Muncie community. We will send letters and emails to school administration and
faculty. We will also send letters and emails to parents whose children attend the schools we visit. Both parents
and even elementary school students use social media; so we will be using social media to advertise our
program by designing Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. These three social media strategies will
hopefully spread the word more quickly. We will post on these websites about where and when we will be
having our programs. Our Facebook page will be used for open public discussion, event invitations, volunteer
recruitment, and the sharing of nutrition facts. Our Instagram will post pictures of fresh fruits and vegetables, as
well as, post facts about why eating a healthy and balanced diet with ample fruits and vegetables is an important
step in reaching optimal health.
Project management: We, the committee of our program, will be in charge of the weekly activities being
conducted for our program. We also will be asking the faculty of the schools (principals, vice principals, health
teachers, physical education teachers, etc.) to pair up with us during the times we will be visiting their schools.
We hope that pairing up with the teachers at the schools will give the teachers some ownership in our program
that will hopefully encourage them to continue educating their students on nutrition. Also, we will be asking
parents and community members to volunteer to help in the facilitation, preparation, and marketing of our
program.
Evaluation

The evaluation of our program will include both process, formative, and summative evaluations. For the
process evaluation we will keep track of committee meeting, social media posts, and the number of times our
program was delivered. We will also keep track of how well our program is presented. We will keep carful
record of all questionnaires or flyers administered.
For the formative evaluation we will do a pilot trial. During this pilot trial we will run the program
developed for each grade level by a small representative group of students from each age group. This will allow
us to see if elementary students enjoy the program, and determine if the program meets the established goals
and objectives. The pilot trial will occur prior to the full implementation of our program to ensure that we have
fixed any issues and that our program will be effective.
The summative evaluation will include the administration of a questionnaire to students before and after
each program. This will allow us to determine what students knew prior to the program, as well as, how much
the students learned during the program. The questionnaires will vary by grade level due to the students
varying reading levels.
References
American Academy of Family Physicians. (2015). Residency Program Project Descriptions. Retrieved from
http://www.aafp.org/media-center/kits/child-obesity/descriptions.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Adolescent and school health: Nutrition and the health of
young people. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/nutrition/facts.htm
Mersch, J. (2014). Childhood Obesity: Get Facts on Prevention and Causes. Retrieved from
http://www.medicinenet.com/childhood_obesity/article.htm
Obesity Action Coalition (2015). Obesity Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.obesityaction.org/educationalresources/obesity-statistics-fact-sheets

Budget
Fruits and vegetables: $1900.00
Paper and printing: $260.00
10% contingency: $240.00
Total: $2400.00
Budget Narrative
The funding can only be allocated for the purchase of fruit and vegetables, as well as, office supplies.
Due to the simplicity of our program, the majority of the funding will be allocated to purchasing enough fruits
and vegetable samples for all students who attend our program. The estimated number of students is 2,620. This
would mean that we are budgeting less than $1 worth of samples per student. This is justifiable estimate because
samples purchased in bulk will likely be reduced in price. Also, since we are just giving out samples, we would
only need small portions. The $260.00 is necessary for paper and printing needed to create questionnaires for
the collection of student responses. We would also need to print letters to school administrators and faculty. We
established a $240.00 contingency based on 10% of the money awarded through the grant. These contingency
funds are kept in reserve and will be used for unforeseen financial needs. If no such needs occur, the money will
be allocated to the purchase of additional fruits and vegetables.
Documentation of Activities
Program facilitators will document all activities on an activity log each time a program is delivered.
(See last page for example.) Program facilitators will document any incidences or issues that of occur in a
similar manner. Permission slips will be sent home to parents so that pictures can be taken and possibly
published on our documents of children who participate in the program. All pictures, videos, and stories that
will be published or shared as a part of our program will be documented with forms similar to the activity
documentation form. The documentation will include, names of people involved, permission slips from
students parents, and a description including time, date, and location of the activity. Documentations will be
kept in paper form in a documentation binder.

Muncie Mission Nutrition Program

3015 N Oakwood Ave
Muncie , IN 47304
756-555-2222
mission@nutrition.com

Tim Heller
Muncie Community Schools
2501 N Oakwood Ave.
Muncie, IN 47304
April 1, 2015
Dear Tim Heller,
My name is Alyssa Ham and I am a representative for the Muncie Mission Nutrition Program, an educational
program to increase students knowledge about nutrition. Our program received a grant that will help us bring
fresh fruits and vegetables into local elementary schools. We are asking that you consider partnering with us to
bring our program into your nine elementary schools.
Our program is important to help benefit the students in your schools. The majority of elementary aged students
do not receive the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. Ten percent of children in Muncie are
considered obese. By allowing our program in your schools, you can increase knowledge of nutrition to your
students that they can take home, as well as, increase the servings of fruits and vegetables provided in school
lunches.
As part of our program, we plan to implement a competition between the grade levels to help them learn simple
nutrition facts. In the competition we will provide healthy snacks for them to sample, making nutrition and
eating healthy fun and active. By bringing a positive light to educating on nutrition, our goal is that students will
take the knowledge home and continue the healthy habits outside of school.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us. We look forward to partnering with you and working
in your schools.
Sincerely,
Alyssa Ham

Sample Activity Log: To be filled out by facilitator each time a program is delivered.
Activity description

Supplies needed

Number of participants

Participants response
(good,bad, etc.)
How you felt it went
(good, bad, etc.
Improvements for next
time.

Names of volunteers and

leaders.

Facilitator: ____________________ Location: ____________________ Time & Date:________________