Rockwall County Library to host free MyPlate workshop for families

Families trying to make weeknight dinners cheaper and healthier will get hands-on help at the Rockwall County Library when Texas A&M AgriLife Extension brings its free Discover MyPlate workshop to 1215 E Yellowjacket Lane in Rockwall at 6 p.m. May 12.

The session is part of the Health Talk Express Well Families Workshop series and is aimed at families with children in pre-K through elementary school. Instead of offering broad nutrition advice, the program is built around practical tools parents and caregivers can use right away, including meal-planning strategies, simple recipes and activities that turn healthy eating into something children can understand and help with.

During the workshop, families will make a Fruit-a-licious Snack Cup, take part in hands-on activities and learn about USDA MyPlate and its five food group friends: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods and dairy. Children will also bring home Food Group Friends reading booklets, recipes, an SOS mix and a complimentary recipe booklet with quick main dishes, giving parents materials they can keep using after the program ends.

The lesson plan is built around emergent reader booklets, food cards, recipe cards, worksheets and role-playing activities that introduce children to fruits, vegetables, balanced meals, healthy snacks and physical activity. For Rockwall parents juggling budgets, work schedules and children’s nutrition, the appeal is straightforward: the workshop turns abstract guidance into something families can taste, assemble and repeat at home.

The timing also fits Rockwall County’s growing needs. County extension materials describe Rockwall County as the smallest county in Texas geographically and one of the fastest growing demographically, a combination that has increased pressure for low-cost, family-centered services. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension operates in all 254 Texas counties and says its mission is to improve Texans’ health, safety and well-being through education and partnerships.

The nutrition effort is rooted in the agency’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, or EFNEP, a USDA-funded program that has been operating since 1969 and serves young families and youth with limited resources. Texas EFNEP notes that 21% of Texas families with children under 18 were living below the poverty level, a reminder of why practical food education matters for households trying to make every dollar count.

The library has also been promoting a related Well Families event, Healthy Meals in Minutes, a two-part series focused on family nutrition. For Rockwall families, the coming workshop offers more than a one-night lesson: it is a chance to leave with food, ideas and a clearer path to healthier meals at home.