SCIENCES record and interpret reality.

FAST times in Morgan County; what we did .  .  .  shows what we can do.

To put more SCIENCES into daily lives of Morgan county residents, FAST produced “Morgan County Menus” with Dr. Matthew Hahn. We distributed 300 copies of our example of grass-roots health education to attendees at an international US Dept. of Commerce meeting. “Morgan County Menus” was reviewed with enthusiasm by the Clinical Nutrition Division and the Associate Dean of Research at the UCLA College of Medicine. For many years, the booklet and pedometers were provided free at the County Fair. Over a thousand “Morgan County Menus” booklets have  been distributed from the County Fair, the Morgan County Library and the WVU Extension Office. It reappeared in 2018 as a shorter, updated ebook, Recipe Repairs.

FAST’s County Fair exhibits included a display on sugar calories that later circulated among County schools (complementing a new NIH curriculum supplement on the science of energy balance; “Calorie Intake and Physical Activity”). We joined with Morgan County Health Olympics to obtain exercise equipment at Widmeyer School for the first healthy walking track in the County. We also gave funds for a fitness station at the walking track in North Berkeley. FAST sponsored many community discussions about health and nutrition, integrating healing aspects of complementary and alternative medicine as well as promoting nutrition education of adolescents in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. A unique evening discussion by Commander Joe Hibbeln of the NIH described his research on how nutrition affects human behavior. We held a community discussion of “Living with Alzheimer’s” led by Dr. Matt Hahn with informative handouts from the National Institute on Aging.

Dr. Joe Hibbeln led a public discussion of nutrition and neuroscience, considering how omega-3 fats improve human behavior. During the 2010 County Fair, FAST brought three national experts in the field of nutritional biochemistry and health, Capt. Joe Hibbeln, nutritionist Evelyn Tribole and Dr. Doug Bibus, to talk with Morgan County residents. We sponsored multiple community lectures and discussions by Capt. Joe Hibbeln with local doctors, school coaches and personnel regarding omega-3 fatty acid deficits and depression. Dave Banks started a wellness demonstration project with school staff who used Omega3-6Balance Scores to “Nix the 6” and “Eat the 3”. Website pages describe how to NIX the 6 & EAT the 3 and use Omega 3-6 Balance Scores for 5,100 food items that can be seen with free “apps”.

FAST joined the School Social Work staff to provide omega-3 foods to begin a “Sardine Club” at the Intermediate School. FAST also joined with Starting Points to extend the seafood distribution to the Backpack Program for a broader involvement of Morgan County children and their families. The community volunteers learned about the health consequences of Omega 3-6 Balance Scores. The Balance Scores for 5,100 food items can be used on free “apps” to help prepare daily menu plans with predictable outcomes of personal health risk assessment values.

County Fair attendees became honorary members of the Sardine Club by tasting one of the flavored samples of seafood. The Sardine Club has grown to about 120 student members. You may see some wearing new artistic Sardine Club T-shirts. County Fair attendees who paid FAST annual $5 dues entered in the raffle drawing for a basket of omega-3 rich foods. FAST continues to provide omega-3 foods to the Sardine Club. We also continue supporting (along with other donors) the distribution of seafood through the Morgan County Backpack Program to increase intake of protein and omega-3 nutrients by Morgan County children and their families.

A three-dimensional display of Morgan County hydrogeology was shown at many County Fairs. FAST awarded travel grants for students to attend an educational camp on the Chesapeake Bay. Travel Grants were awarded to Paw Paw Schools for a trip to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral and to the Museum of the Berkeley Springs for transporting students to the museum from schools. FAST gave an award to BSHS to create a chapter of the National Honor Society. FAST continues to partner with other donors on seafood distribution in the Morgan County Backpack Program for a broader inclusion of protein and omega-3 nutrients for Morgan County children and their families. A school project on School Wellness is described in a 4:27min video. The efaeducation.org website describes much of the science on how to NIX the 6 & EAT the 3 and how to use Omega 3-6 Balance Scores for 5,100 food items that can be accessed directly by mobile devices.

updated August, 2019