SNOW HILL – The Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded the Worcester County Library $11,000 to implement educational programs and kits that will promote healthy eating and wellness.
Jennifer Ranck, the library’s director, said the Worcester County Library applied for a Food Literacy Series grant in response to a growing public interest in nutrition and wellness.
In addition to funding programs that focus on topics such as nutrition, smart shopping, label reading and seasonal produce, Ranck said the grant will allow the library to use kits that enforce health literacy and wellness lessons.
“The libraries will also be assembling kits for children, teens, and adults, which will feature resources to help expand food literacy education at home,” she said.
For example, Ranck said a “Growing Herbs” kit will feature basic gardening tools, seeds and ideas on how to use a particular herb.
Brittney Herz Glenn, branch manager at the Ocean City library, said certain kits will only be used during the library’s story time programs. However, library patrons will be able to check out adult kits and early literacy kits.
“You will get a small bag or backpack with all the items inside and when you return it we will check to make sure everything has come back safe and sound for the next patron,” she said.
Herz Glenn said the Worcester County Library is currently reaching out to community agencies like Atlantic General Hospital, for example, to offer programs at the library.
“Anyone from our community agencies that are interested can contact Jennifer Ranck or myself,” she said.
While health literacy and wellness programs will run from early January to the beginning of June, Herz Glenn said the kits will remain at the library indefinitely.
“The kits will be in the system permanently and we hope to continue with wellness and nutrition programming using those items even after the end of the grant,” she said.
Herz Glenn said programs and kits funded by the grant align with other popular programs at the library.
“Our gardening programs do well, as do our wellness programs, so it seems that patrons are interested in their health and wellness,” she said, “so we wanted to be able to offer as much information and materials as we could.”
Herz Glenn said she hopes the program will further promote healthy eating and wellness in Worcester County.
“There is always a need for more information when it comes to health and nutrition because it’s always changing,” she said.
