Guam’s SNAP-Ed nutrition education program to phase out following federal cuts

Started in 1992 — and reaching Guam in 2015 — SNAP-Ed provided federal funding through state agencies, including the Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services, and implementing agencies, such as Land Grant universities, to promote healthy food choices among low-income families. In Guam, the program has been carried out through the Land Grant Extension Service of the University of Guam as a subaward from DPHSS.
 
A total of 25% of Guam’s population receives SNAP food assistance, and according to data from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, one in three adults in Guam is obese. The SNAP-Ed curriculum included lessons on nutrition, food safety, healthy cooking, and consumer education, like reading nutrition labels and grocery shopping.
 
“This news arrives heavy on many of our hearts as SNAP-Ed has become a known and valued program throughout our community,” said Tanisha Aflague, an extension agent and registered dietitian nutritionist with UOG Land Grant who led the program.
 
Community members may have encountered SNAP-Ed at grocery store cooking demonstrations or in schools and daycares teaching healthy eating and active lifestyle habits through the 5-2-1-Almost None initiative. The 5-2-1-AN program reached more than 900 youth in their classrooms during the 2024 school year.
 
The SNAP-Ed team regularly conducted nutrition lessons at senior centers, public housing communities, and substance abuse treatment centers and also provided trainings to government agencies who serve low-income families. In total in 2024, the program reached nearly 22,000 island residents through direct and indirect education strategies.
 
Although SNAP-Ed officially ended nationwide on Sept. 30, 2025, UOG Land Grant has received approval to use remaining carryover funds through Sept. 30, 2026, allowing for continued limited programming for one final phase-out year.
 
During this phase-out year, SNAP-Ed activities will continue as funding allows. The 5-2-1-Almost None campaign will also remain visible in some food stores, schools, and villages, thanks to dedicated partners who have fully adopted the initiative.
 
The SNAP-Ed close-out will be co-led by Aflague and extension agent Lenora Matanane. They will be contacting existing community partners to connect them with other UOG Extension programs that share SNAP-Ed’s focus areas of youth development, physical activity, community gardens, and the use of local produce.
 
“SNAP-Ed’s success is very much attributed to the hardworking and dedicated team members that we’ve had over the years,” Aflague said. “Our hope is that, in the 10 years that SNAP-Ed has been in Guam, the seeds for long-term health have been planted and will continue to flourish throughout the island in other programs.”
 
Community partners with questions about SNAP-Ed may contact Dr. Tanisha Aflague at (671) 735-2026 or taflague@triton.uog.edu or Lenora Matanane at (671) 735-2044 or matananel@triton.uog.edu.