OFBF, WIC partner to promote agriculture, nutrition information The Ohio Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program distributed more than 100,000 of Ohio Farm Bureau’s coloring books, We Grow in Ohio!, to all 76 local WIC agencies during the month of August. The 20-page coloring book includes fun activities for children to help them connect food and farms as well as many agricultural facts about the state of Ohio that adults should find interesting and educational. The WIC program worked with Pat Petzel, OFBF director of promotion and education, to further the distribution of the coloring book throughout the state. The Ohio Department of Health reprinted the coloring book to distribute through WIC clinics. According to Kelly Hetrick, WIC human service program consultant and program developer, the program continually looks for nutrition education materials to promote reading and literacy among the 120,000 children ages one to five who comprise the Ohio WIC population. Hetrick said the coloring book provided an opportunity to further this initiative. WIC distributed the books to child participants and encouraged parents and caregivers to read the books to and engage in the activities with their children. The books also may be used at health and county fairs to promote WIC. Caption: Karen Smith and her children Kayja Barbour and Stephon Smith enjoy copies of the We Grow in Ohio coloring books. The Ohio WIC program is distributing more than 100,000 copies of the book in an effort to provide nutrition education materials to their clients. Photo by Lynn Snyder | |