Objective: Developing student-run education activities in local settings regarding healthy eating habits. Target Audience: Individuals, children, families, and LINK card users who attended city-supported farmers markets. Theory, Prior Research, Rationale: Empowerment was the client-centered strategy applied. Empowering students to understand community-based nutrition education; considering culture, flexibility, and food meanings through informative resources, guided practice, and feedback from peers, supervisors and market patrons. Description: Nutrition Booth events held monthly (n¼5) at the Saturday's Farmers Market. Nutrition students (n¼9) provided cooking demonstrations of 5, simple, seasonal produce recipes. Patrons tasted recipe samples, collected Fresh Flyer newsletters (av. 120/event; available online for e-access) and recipe cards. Social media used to advertise/promote recipes. Students engaged children with nutrition and health-related messages. Evaluation: Students reported building competencies: educating consumers about misconceptions they may hold in regards to foods and nutrition, relaying simple food science principals and recipe collaboration, cooperating with community stakeholders and farmers to educate the public, becoming more familiar with regional foods, and enhanced confidence in communication skills required to communicate with different ages (ranging from children to elderly). Returning patrons reported using cooking tips and simple recipes. Vendors increasingly donated produce for food demonstrations. Conclusions and Implications: Through interactive food demonstrations, students gained confidence and helped individuals enhance their own abilities to make positive behavior changes related to eating more healthfully. Integration of nutrition education with local events supported county goals that fresh fruits and vegetables be accessible to all families in our community. This model was replicated by another market in the community.

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