EFNEP celebrates 50 years in Riverside and San Bernardino counties

From left, Connie Costello, Roxana Puentes, Chutima Ganthavorn, Connie Lexion, Christine Davidson, Dalila Lizarraga, Marilynn Ljungberg, Sasha Henderson, Debbie Lopez, Myriam Acevedo and Clara Wilshire.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program team that serves Riverside and San Bernardino counties recently hosted a lunch to celebrate the 50th anniversary of EFNEP. 

Chutima Ganthavorn, UCCE nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor for Riverside and San Bernardino counties; Christine Davidson, EFNEP program supervisor for Riverside and San Bernardino counties; Dalila Lizarraga, EFNEP community education specialist in San Bernardino County; Marilynn Ljungberg, EFNEP community education specialist San Bernardino County; Sasha Henderson, EFNEP community education specialist San Bernardino County, Myriam Acevedo, EFNEP community education specialist in Riverside County, Clara Wilshire, EFNEP community education specialist in San Bernardino County; and Roxana Puentes, EFNEP community education specialist in San Bernardino County, participated.

The EFNEP team was joined by Dee Denton, Master Food Preserver coordinator, and Maggie O'Neill, Master Gardener coordinator in San Bernardino County. EFNEP retirees Connie Lexion, Connie Costello and Debbie Lopez also attended.

Lexion (formerly Connie Garrett) was a nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor from 1970 to 2006. Lexion keeps in touch with many former team members and gave an update on those she met with at a luncheon in April.

Costello started working for UC in 1981 and was part of EFNEP and UC CalFresh from 2012 to 2017 serving as the EFNEP/UC CalFresh Program supervisor in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

For 15 years, Lopez was part of UCCE, supporting the EFNEP youth program and 4-H from 1971 to 1986.

The group shared stories and talked about how the program has changed over the years.

EFNEP started in 1969 with the goal of addressing concerns about nutrition and physical activity behaviors of low-income families, focusing on families with young children. It has since grown to reach 200,000 adults and 450,000 youth in every state, U.S. territory and the District of Columbia.

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