Lake County
Lake County Extension
915 Michigan Ave
Baldwin, MI 49304 /

P: 231-745-2732F: 231-745-6213

/ E-mail:

Web: msue.msu.edu/Lake

February 2006

Basic nutrition greatly increases the quality of life for local woman
MSU Extension Family and Consumer Science educator Kilah King, had an opportunity to work with Annie* a young lady who had several serious issues, including, not having a clue on how to cook a basic meal.
The first time they met, Annie explained that her body produced “pharmacological toxins” when she unknowingly ate foods to which she was allergic. At the time, she didn’t know the sources of her allergies, only that she was often sick after eating.
“Sometimes I go without eating all day because I don’t want to be sick,” Annie said.
Annie was also suffering from emotional issues that didn’t allow her to go about her daily life as easily as most other people.
King began by helping Annie learn to safely make simple and nutritious meals. Annie had been opening cans of food and eating directly out of the can without heating the contents.
Because Annie liked beans and had a crock pot at home, King gave her a recipe for cooking beans using a crock pot. By the third week of the Family Nutrition Program series, Annie pointed out that she was using her crock pot for regular meals and that her “bean soup” lasted for several days.
*Not her real name / To help Annie find out about her food allergies, King suggested that she contact a registered dietician. By the end of the month, Annie was working with a dietician from Lake County Community Mental Health, and undergoing allergy tests.
Two weeks later Annie knew exactly what foods that she could eat and which ones contained allergens.
By the sixth week in the program Annie was trying different recipes in her crock pot.
“Now I am able to have meals even when I don’t cook, because I freeze what I don’t eat and thaw it out for a meal at a later time,” she said. “I am also able to eat more of a variety of food because I now know what foods I have an allergy to and what is okay to eat.”
Annie now reports that she has added more variety to her diet and that she is eating meals consistently. She is trying new alternatives to foods she is allergic to and planning to have King come to her house to demonstrate making a healthy meal, using the stove.
Annie is just one of the many Lake County residents who have improved their nutrition and their food safety practices, thanks to MSU Extension.
“Kilah, I consider you a valuable resource in my step-by-step learning. Thank you for being patient with me.” -Annie
Contact: Kilah King
/ Michigan State University Extension helps people improve their lives through an educational process that applies knowledge to critical issues, needs and opportunities. Offices in counties across the state link the research of the land-grant university, MSU, to challenges facingcommunities. Citizens serving on county Extension councils regularly help select focus areas for programming. MSU Extension is funded jointly by county boards of commissioners,the state through Michigan State University and federally through the US Department of Agriculture.
MSU Extension contributes to effort promoting tourism to boost economic development
Lake County offers a vast array of recreational activities for individuals and families. There are many excellent streams and rivers, including the Pere Marquette River known for its trout, steelhead, and salmon fishing.
The Manistee National Forest and the state forest offer hiking, skiing, biking, hunting, wildlife viewing and snowmobiling.
Though there is an abundance of natural resources and organizations that promote local tourism, there has never been a joint effort to develop an economic development tourism plan for the county.
Connie Theunick, Lake County MSU Extension director, has been working with the Lake County Chamber of Commerce officers to develop a plan to address this need.
The first step in the effort was to develop a tourism assessment of the county. Theunick worked with the chamber of commerce’s president, Jeff McKnight and vice president, Sandy Crandall, to organize this tour.
The assessment team consisted of staff members from Travel Michigan and Business Development, The Cultural Economic Development of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The team spent a day interacting with more than 30 individuals from businesses and non-profit organizations.
The team’s preliminary report emphasized the need for communication between local groups for awareness and promotion of tourism events and programs.
The report also called for development of a tourism marketing plan to reach outside Lake county and capitalize on the extensive recreational trail systems.
A formal report will be developed based on this information and presented to the tourism organizations, the county commissioners, business leaders and the Enterprise Community Board.
Contact: Connie Theunick / Teens learn, spread message about dangers of methamphetamines
Baldwin High School Natural Helpers 4-H Club members were concerned after learning that several methamphetamine labs had been found in the county.
Karen Neiger, the MSU Extension 4-H staff person working with the group, contacted the Lake County DARE officer and asked him to speak to the group during its weekly meeting.
Officer Hurrle showed the students a PowerPoint presentation focused on the effects of the methamphetamines. The images were very graphic, which got the students’ attention.
Since Natural Helpers are trained to help their peers when they are in trouble, and need to know what resources are available to help young people, they decided to share what they had learned with their peers.
Neiger engaged P. T. Jones-Salaam, the volunteer 4-H leader/athletic director, and the high school principal, Faith Jones, to help organize a student assembly.
During the assembly the students will have a chance to promote positive peer pressure through their 4-H club by using some of the activities they learned during their training.
“Man, I can’t believe someone would want to put that in their body!”
Joey Howard, Baldwin High School student
Contact: Karen Neiger

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity institution; Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Thomas G. Coon, Extension Director, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI 48824