CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties

04/22/2026

Stay healthy and waste less this Earth Day by adding extra flavor to your dish. Try these simple pickled onions to top off your toast, tacos, or salad. https://eatfresh.org/recipe/side-dish/quick-pickled-onions/

Pickling can be an simple and affordable way to stretch your food while adding more veggies to your plate.

Before you compost it, can you preserve it? 🌎

This Earth Day, save just one food before it goes bad.

Freeze it: extra herbs, chopped bananas, or leftover broth.
Dry it: paper bag dried herbs.
Pickle it: refrigerator quick-pickled carrots.
Sauce it: overripe tomatoes turned into a small batch of pizza sauce.
Share it: extra lemons, garden greens, or baked goods with a neighbor or your local food bank.

Food preservation is one small way to reduce food waste and make better use of the resources that went into growing, packaging, and transporting our food.



photo credit: Sloan Weisskirch, used with permission

01/27/2026

Students at learned how to enjoy their fruits and veg with a little extra flair thanks to our food preservation experts, UCCE Master Food Preservers of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties🍋‍🟩🌶. They used dehydrated herbs and citrus to make a homemade spice blend.

What's your flavor?⬇️

11/19/2025

A fun filled morning at Oceano Elementary School for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day! Students stayed hydrated with some refreshing fruit infused water 🍉💧

11/04/2025

Families who are pregnant or have children under the age of 5 can receive food benefits through Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Learn more about applying below.

Although CalFresh benefits are currently delayed, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits remain fully available. Families who are pregnant or have children under age five can enroll quickly and start receiving food benefits.

Families can apply for WIC online, by phone, or by text:
🖱️ Online: slocounty.gov/WIC
☎️ Phone: 805-781-5570
📲 Text: 888-417-6180
🚶‍♀️Walk-in: Visit any WIC office location

What is WIC? Women, Infants and Children (WIC) helps families during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood (up to age 5) by providing funds for groceries on an EBT card, plus nutrition and breastfeeding support and referrals to healthcare and community resources. Learn more from the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department.

Additional Food Resources 👉 As a reminder, you or someone you know needs food, please call 📞 805-238-4664 or visit 📱 findfoodslo.org to find food resources near you.

10/24/2025

10/16/2025

This week, we celebrate the nutritious meals served every day to help students learn, grow, and thrive. A huge thank you to the school nutrition heroes who make it happen! 🥪🍎🥗🥕

Our SMBSD Food Services works throughout the year to keep our students healthy and well fed. This week, we celebrate our food service workers. Thank you , SMBSD Food Services! 🍅🍎🥦🥕

10/14/2025

We joined our friends One Cool Earth at Grover Beach Elementary School for some pumpkin fun! Students learned all about the pumpkin life cycle, explored pumpkins using their five senses, and enjoyed a tasty pumpkin seed trail mix snack.

10/07/2025

CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE in Santa Barbara County (CFHL, UCCE) partners with the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) and UCCE Master Food Preservers of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties (MFP) to host Family Cook Nights, a family-centered nutrition education series. During the 2024–2025 school year, CFHL, UCCE offered six four-class series using the Healthy, Happy Families curriculum and additional food preservation sessions with MFP, reaching over 70 participants. The program helps caregivers establish positive nutrition habits.

By partnering with Family Resource Centers (FRCs) at four SMBSD sites, CFHL, UCCE engages families through trusted community spaces. Lessons covered topics like managing picky eaters, reading food labels, and involving kids in meal prep. Each class included a healthy recipe tasting. Some favorites included no added-sugar agua fresca, cilantro lime tuna wraps, and mango chicken stir-fry.

When asked what they learned, parents shared:

☑️“More awareness of added sugars, labels, and safe food handling.”

☑️“I’ve learned to be more patient with my children in the kitchen and cook healthier.”

☑️“There are fun ways to offer food, especially for kids. I learned what benefits my body and what to avoid.”

CFHL, UCCE will continue partnering with FRCs through the 2025–2026 school year to strengthen family nutrition skills and community connections. A big thank you to our nutrition educator, Miguel and MFP volunteer Debbie for providing these sessions for families!

10/06/2025

Interested in becoming a Master Food Preserver in SLO/SB? Applications are now open!

10/02/2025

school garden is flourishing with fall crops! Swipe to see for yourself!!

These figs were given to the Food and Nutrition team to be featured in the school salad bar!

09/24/2025

Check out a few results from our Youth Leader Survey! After participating in our program, students reported increases in key skills:
✔️67% say they can work as a team member with excellent ability (up from 21%)
✔️41% now feel confident speaking before a group (up from 10%)
✔️64% feel ready to teach others (up from 15%)

09/23/2025

CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE (CFHL, UCCE) in Santa Barbara County partners with youth through 4-H Student Nutrition Advisory Council clubs (4-H SNAC) and the Sprouts afterschool club to create healthy and resilient communities. These after-school programs provide opportunities for positive youth development while increasing access to nutrition and garden education, healthy foods, and school gardens.

CFHL, UCCE provides youth partners with technical training and assistance to teach evidence-based curriculum and maintain a sustainable garden. Students apply their knowledge by delivering lessons to youth and adults, facilitating garden tours and demonstrations, and harvesting and distributing produce grown in the school garden to the community.

4-H SNAC Impact:

129 4th-6th grade 4-H SNAC leaders were trained in:

-Public speaking and leadership by delivering evidence-based nutrition and garden education to 35 classes, reaching 937 peers.
-Garden Sustainability to grow and distribute produce and lead educational garden demonstrations for fellow peers and community members.
-Nutrition Education and Food Literacy: including food safety and food preservation, recipe demonstrations and tastings of healthy foods.

CFHL, UCCE in Santa Barbara empowers young people to take active roles in education and community engagement. Together, youth leaders are building a healthier and more resilient community while developing skills that will prepare them for future success.