Maria Fehl is taking on a new job at Community Pantry after she
spent 22 years with San Benito County Community Services and
Workforce Development before she recently retired as the deputy
director.
Maria Fehl is taking on a new job at Community Pantry after she spent 22 years with San Benito County Community Services and Workforce Development before she recently retired as the deputy director.
Fehl will be teaching classes about nutrition and she will help low-income families with food stamp applications.
The nutrition class will be taught at the Community Pantry’s office and is planned to start in May. Fehl will be receiving training from a nutrition coordinator from Second Harvest and will focus on healthy ways to prepare food that the Community Pantry distributes to families.
Fehl said she hopes to teach people how to cook with healthy foods. The goal for the class is to reach 300 people, she said.
Community Pantry’s Executive Director Mary Ann Hughes said she hopes people will develop better eating habits with the nutrition classes. Many kids are becoming overweight, she said, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is growing.
Some families who are eligible for food stamps don’t apply for them because of the dwelling application process, she noted. The application can have at least a dozen pages and a dozen documents could be required. Fehl will help people get all the materials together beforehand to help speed the process.
Fehl said some people might feel intimidated by going into a government agency, but she hopes they will feel more comfortable going to her for help, she said.
California is one of the most difficult states with rules regarding food stamps, Hughes said.
“The federal government gives the community (the) money,” Hughes said.
Fehl’s position is funded by grants from the Health Trust and Community Foundation of San Benito County.
It is a partnership with Second Harvest in Watsonsville, Hughes said.
