Elizabeth Schumacher
University of Vermont (UVM) Extension’s Community Nutrition Education program has hired Elizabeth Schumacher as its new nutrition educator for Rutland County.
Schumacher’s role will involve educating both youths and adults with limited resources on ways to improve their dietary practices to become better managers of their resources through classes, in-home visits, schools and in partnership with social service agencies.
“My goal is to improve culinary confidence and public health through changes in diet and lifestyle habits in a manner that is manageable, achievable, affordable and accessible to everyone,” Schumacher said. “Overall, I want to make it easy and enjoyable for people to make positive impacts to their diet and lifestyle.
“While our free programming is primarily through Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program to work with limited-resource audiences, we also have a fee-for-service model for those interested in learning more about nutrition, cooking and leading a healthy lifestyle that may not fall within our income specific guidelines, which are185% of the poverty line.”
“While our free programming is primarily through Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) to work with limited-resource audiences, we also have a fee-for-service model for those interested in learning more about nutrition, cooking and leading a healthy lifestyle that may not fall within our eligibility guidelines for EFNEP.”
Before joining UVM Extension, the nutrition educator worked for the Bennington Fair Food Initiative where she coordinated outreach and network building among farms, food producers and food-based non-profits in Bennington County and surrounding areas. Her previous work experience also focused on teaching sustainable gardening and nutrition, serving as a Community Supported Agriculture manager and working with Meals on Wheels as a food redistribution coordinator to manage volunteers and supervise the intake and distribution of gleaned food to ensure food security.
Schumacher’s volunteer work has involved teaching cooking classes for low-income individuals in partnership with Shires Housing and Lake Paran Village in Shaftsbury. She also serves as a board member for Lake Paran Village and as secretary for the Bennington Chapter of Grateful Hearts, an organization that partners with the Vermont Foodbank, local farmers and others to help eliminate food insecurity.
A native of Albany, New York, Schumacher holds a bachelor’s of science degree in community entrepreneurship with a minor in community and international development from UVM. She is currently enrolled in a master’s degree program at Vermont Law and Graduate School in South Royalton and will graduate this May with a degree in food law agriculture and policy with a focus on environmental nutrition.
Schumacher will be housed in the UVM Extension office in Rutland. She can be reached at 802-656-7830 or by email at evschuma@uvm.edu.
