Healthy Community Coalition is offering free pop-up on location virtual “Cooking Matters at the Store” shopping tours throughout Franklin County through August. In an outside atmosphere, coalition educators will coordinate information with a fresh produce table, recipes, and activities that take people through a virtual trip at the store, according to a news release from the coalition.

The tours offer tips and tools to purchase healthy foods on a budget. Participants can gain a variety of key nutrition skills including reading food labels, comparing unit prices to find bargains, identifying whole grain foods, and sticking to a budget.

At the end of the tour, participants will receive a $10 Hannaford gift card to purchase a healthy meal on the budget, fresh produce, a reusable grocery bag, and recipe booklet with simple tips.

Tour dates and times are: Tuesday, Aug. 11, at Walmart, 615 Wilton Road, Farmington; Wednesday, Aug. 12, at IGA, 2185 Main St., in Rangeley; Thursday, Aug. 13, at Bass Park, Wilton; Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Edmunds Market, Phillips; Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Eustis Town Office, Stratton Brook Road, Eustis; Thursday, Aug. 20, at Walmart, 615 Wilton Road, Farmington; Tuesday, Aug. 25, at Walmart, 615 Wilton Road, Farmington; Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Hope Harvest Garden, next to Stanley Health Center on the Franklin Memorial Hospital campus, 111 Franklin Health Commons, Farmington; and Thursday, Aug. 27, at Dollar General, 82 Main St., Livermore Falls.

Two tours will be available on each date at 1 and 2:30 p.m. Times for the Wednesday, Aug. 26, events are noon and 1:30 p.m.

Healthy Community Coalition Nutrition Education classes are made possible through Maine SNAP-Ed. Maine SNAP-Ed is a USDA funded grant, administered by Maine DHHS, implemented statewide by University of New England through contracts with the Healthy Maine Partnership.

The program is a curriculum of Cooking Matters, a program of Share Our Strength and the Good Shepherd Food Bank in partnership with Healthy Community Coalition. Cooking Matters is sponsored locally by Hannaford.

To reserve a spot or for more information, contact Janis Walker at 207-779-2750 or jwalker@fchn.org.

Comments are not available on this story.