Grant helps a company educate its employees about healthy eating

LACKAWANNA, NY — A Lackawanna business showed how it used resources from the Healthy Schools and Communities grant program to create a healthy and inclusive workplace for its diverse workforce.

TMP Technologies/TRS Packaging, the producer of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, employs people representing nine different countries. Ninety percent of its staff comes from outside the United States. That’s why the company applied for a grant and partnered with students from Villa Maria College and the International Institute of Buffalo to display translated slides in the break room, emphasizing the importance of culture. relevant foods and healthy eating.

“So we go to job sites, daycares, food pantries, community sites and we try to maintain and improve nutrition habits, nutrition education and physical activity,” said Laura Corrin, an educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension grants.

A Bangladeshi-born worker said the initiative helped him learn more about healthy eating.

“Like every culture, they have their own recipes, their own food, you know? So, actually, most of the things, as I can say, from my community, from my people, they don’t follow the healthy things. They focus more on taste,” said MD Islam, shipping supervisor at TRS Packaging.

“This is an employer here that, from day one, has been very intentional about employing people right here in the neighborhood, which is huge,” said Jon Rivera, of the 149th Assembly District. New York. “The fact that they are leading initiatives like this means they have a real interest in the health of their employees.”

The Healthy Schools and Communities Grant aims to help more people through its funding. The New York State Department of Health grant initiative is awarded to Erie 1 BOCES and subcontracted to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County. The grant aims to increase access to physical activity and healthy eating to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic diseases. Organizations, schools and businesses can apply for the grant through May 31, 2026. Anyone interested can contact Laura Corrin [email protected].