Thompson Recognized with Extension Award

January 29, 1999

Greensboro, NC: Carrie Thompson, Nash County family and consumer education agent, received the R. E. Jones Award at the annual State Cooperative Extension Conference in Raleigh.

Thompson, who works primarily in the areas of foods and nutrition and family development, has been with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension for 28 years.

In addition to conducting informal consumer, food safety and nutrition training, Thompson serves as site coordinator with Extension's "Out-for-Lunch" program, and works with a variety of other nutrition programs, including "Noon Liting," which focus on dietary decisions which are both healthy and economical.

"Out-for-Lunch," a program addressing the nutritional needs of families eligible for food stamps, delivers dietary information to both parents and their children. While parents learn how to stretch their food dollar and prepare healthy meals for their families, children are involved in educational activities designed to encourage healthy eating habits.

"Noon Liting" is a 15-week weight management program which Thompson has conducted with a variety of audiences in an effort to help people change their eating behaviors and consequently, maintain a healthy weight.

According to Thompson, habit and convenience are often the culprits of poor dietary decisions.

"When people are hungry, it's easier for them to pick up a pack of cookies than to peel an apple," said Thompson. "We too often go for the quick fix and for meals which we are comfortable making. Through these programs, people learn how to think about food in different, more healthy ways."

Thompson also conducts programs to educate child care workers about food safety, and the nutritional and developmental needs of children, and has served as a co-facilitator for Community Voices, a leadership development program coordinated by the North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension Program.

In addition to state, regional and national awards related to her work with Cooperative Extension, Thompson was recognized with a Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Extension Family and Consumer Science.
Prior to coming to Nash County in 1988, Thompson worked with Cooperative Extension in Northampton and Washington Counties.

She holds a B. S. in Home Economics from North Carolina Central University.

The R. E. Jones award is presented annually by the North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension Program to an Extension professional who devotes more than half of their time to serving a limited-resource audience.

Robert Earl Jones, a former Cooperative Extension director at NC A&T State University, passed away in 1991. Mr. Jones was actively involved in the integration of Extension services during the 1960s, and was the first African American to be inducted into North Carolina's Agricultural Hall of Fame.

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For more information, please contact Dr. Daniel Lyons, NC A&T State University, Cooperative Extension Program, (336) 334-7024.