ALBANY COUNTY — Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County will receive $800,000 each year for five years to help low-income residents learn healthy habits for eating and exercising.

The federal grant, totaling $12.9 million across 16 organizations for the first year, was announced Monday by the governor’s office. 

The money is intended to promote nutrition in low-income families, who are especially at risk of the long-term health consequences of poor nutrition, like obesity, according to a release from the governor’s office. 

“Adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes eating nutritious foods and daily exercise improves health outcomes and longevity,” State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said in the release from the governor’s office, “but access to these key elements of good health is not always equal.”

The extension’s regional program leader, Kathleen McCallister, told The Enterprise that the extension is free to use the grant money to fund any programming that targets low-income families who receive, or are eligible to receive, benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. For this group, the extension, based in Voorheesville, offers classes that teach participants how to make healthier choices in grocery stores and maintain a healthy diet while balancing a low budget. 

McCallister laid out five goals that contribute to the state’s overall objective of combating diet-and-exercise-related illnesses in low-income families: 

— To promote the consumption of nutritious foods like lean meats and dark vegetables; 

— To reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods, like sugary beverages;

— To increase the rate of exercise; improve management and preparation skills; 

— And to increase the availability of affordable and nutritious foods to low-income families. 

 One such activity designed to help low-income families is a guided grocery store tour, which helps them understand what nutritious options are available nearby. 

“Program participants will learn skills such as food resource management and other tips and skills for eating healthy on a budget,” McCallister wrote.