Piloting the UCSB CalFresh Healthy Living Program

Completed

Start Year: 2025

End Year: 2025

Topics: Food

Goals

A primary goal of this project is to provide cooking and nutrition classes to UCSB students aimed at teaching students how to make healthy and affordable meals for themselves. Many students are living on their own and learning to cook for themselves for the first time.  

The program also empowers students with nutrition knowledge to help them to make informed choices about what they cook and eat. 

This program was launched with SNAP-Ed/CalFresh Healthy Living Program funding and is focused on students eligible for CalFresh.

Deliverables

This is a new project, deliverables not yet ready for release. 

Outcomes/Metrics

The following outcomes were achieved in Summer 2025:

  • Conducted 20 cooking/nutrition classes using FoodSmarts for Colleges and/or other SNAP-Ed-related  curriculum. 
  • Reached 150 students through the FoodSmarts Cooking workshops.
  • Implemented 2 Days of Action: Healthy Snack Day and Rethink Your Drink Day.
  • Completed 23 class announcements (‘class raps’).  
  • Hosted 22 tabling events to promote upcoming events, SNAP-Ed recipes, access to healthy food on and around campus, and healthy food choices
  • Hosted 4 tasting events highlighting healthy recipes. 
  • Reached 1,618 students through tabling, tastings, class raps, and days of action.

A broader strategic goal for this student-led pilot was to test out implementing a SNAP-ED/CalFresh Healthy Living Program at UCSB and document the successes and challenges in implementing the program.  A case study will be developed in Fall 2025 which will be used to craft future programs, in fundraising, and as a model should SNAP-Ed be refunded federally.
 

About

CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) (aka SNAP-Ed) is a California-based initiative focused on serving low-resourced Californians by promoting healthy living through good nutrition, increased physical activity, and healthy community changes. CFHL programming includes interactive classes and outreach campaigns facilitated by student interns and staff mentors that engage participants in learning about budget-conscious strategies for healthful eating and staying physically active. This project intends to support healthy, active, and nourished lifestyles by teaching UCSB students about good nutrition and making the most of their food dollars while urging them to make healthier choices. 

Many students are cooking on their own for the first time, and do not yet feel confident in their cooking skills. As a result, students purchase restaurant-prepared meals and ready-to-go items from grocery stores, both of which are significantly more expensive than cooking from scratch at home. 43% of UCSB undergraduate and 37% of graduate students are experiencing food insecurity, and finding inexpensive ways to support them in accessing healthy meals is critical.  

The project’s foundation was based on the Food, Nutrition, and Basic Skills Program (FNBS) FNBS teaches nutrition, food preparation, and budgeting skills to help increase students’ food security and teach sustainable eating habits. The CalFresh Healthy Living Interns work with various campus programs to promote student health through cooking classes and raising awareness about healthy, yet affordable food options that are mindful of students’ capacities.

Photo of a student intern at a CFHL event talking with passersby.
Photo of a two student workers at a CFHL event talking with passersby.
Photo of a student intern at a CFHL event talking with passersby.
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Partners

  • Katie Maynard, Sustainability Internships and Community Resources Department

  • Luther Richmond, Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)

  • Mallory Russell, Department of Health & Wellness

  • Bhavya Uniyal, Take Back the Tap Program 

Funders

  • This project was funded through the Federal SNAP-Ed (called CalFresh Healthy Living in California), but it has been defunded as of October 1, 2025. 
  • The project will be put on a pause in October, pending identification of alternate funds.
  • The Food, Nutrition, and Basic Skills Program will continue to offer cooking and nutrition education courses for UCSB students at the level they did prior to the launch of this program. 

Project Leads

  • Gilberto Carrillo, Policy, Structure, Environment 
  • Brendan Craft, Outreach  
  • Teagan Golden, Food Smarts Workshops 
  • Kelsey Nguyen, Outreach 
  • Emily Perez, Outreach 
  • Jenny Qin, Outreach 
  • Jasmine Reza, Food Smarts Workshops 
  • Mikayla Tay, Food Smarts Workshops 
  • Charlotte Theut, Food Smarts Workshops 

Ways to Get Involved

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