I can cook

Author: Lisa Lamb

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

I can cookThe Garrard County food pantry is open weekly and serves over 600 families each month. The Pantry allows the Garrard County SNAP-Ed assistant Lisa Lamb to conduct food demonstration and nutrition education program each week using My Plate Recipes and lessons from the Healthy Choices curriculum.Six food pantry clients attended all of the weekly classes. They included people who work but run out of food before the end of the month.One participant shared that she and her husband ate two m

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Bonus to the class

Author: Lisa Lamb

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Bonus To the class:The Village Square Apartment Complex provides housing to individuals and families with limited resources. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Education program assistant, for Garrard County, partnered with the apartments complex to conduct a series of seven weekly classes on nutrition, food safety and food resource management using the Healthy Choices curriculum. 5 residents ranging in age from 20 to 49 participated in the program, 5 households benefited from

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Learn to wash those hands

Author: Lisa Lamb

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Hand WashingGarrard County has 3 elementary schools. 24.3% of the youth live in or below the poverty line. The elementary schools have 100% of youth who qualify for free or reduced priced meals. The Garrard County SNAP-Ed Program Assistant works with the elementary schools to conduct monthly programs for 131 youth in grades K through 2nd grade. During the year, handwashing was a priority. Activities include: Glow Germ, the pepper experiment and other activities incorporated in the lessons. 

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Owensboro Regional Recovery Garden of Hope

Author: Shannon Kuegel

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

I do programming with the residents of Owensboro Regional Recovery, a local in-house substance abuse facility for men. As a SNAP-Ed Assistant, I get the opportunity to educate the residents in the My Plate Curriculum. When ORR reached out to the Nutrition Education Program, our Area NEP Agent & SNAP-Ed, we came together & the result is something awesome! Through the generosity of the Nutrition Education Program, we were able to purchase all supplies  (ie. building materials, soil, p

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A Positive Kitchen

Author: Susan Grimmett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

A Positive KitchenThe majority of Kentuckians do not know how to eat healthy or the proper proportions of each foodGroup which has lead to 1/3 of all Kentuckians being obese.   The SNAP-Ed assistant partnered with thelocal library to teach Healthy Choices adult curriculumBy applying the information, the entire class gained information of how prepare meals properly and eat the correct proportion. They also prepared the no salt spice blend and took home a sample with eagerness to&nb

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Try It, You May Like It

Author: Susan Grimmett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Try It, You May Like ItAccording to the US Agriculture Department, only 23% of Kentuckians eat the recommended dailyamount of vegetables. The adult Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum was offeredduring National Nutrition Month in which the SNAP-Ed assistant in Boyd County targeted adults andyouth to try new foods. Participants stated they were concerned about changing their eatinghabits, Calendars were given to each participant at the first meeting and some of the adults had doubtsif their

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Northeast Area Head Start Parent Group

Author: Danielle Fairchild

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Lawrence County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) assistant partnered with Northeast Area Head Start to offer a series of nutrition classes to parents of preschool-aged children. The parent group met once a month throughout the school calendar year. In addition to teaching the seven required lessons, the SNAP-Ed assistant would also take a recipe sample for parents to try and encouraged them to prepare at home for their families.The participants improved their knowledge of

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Angel Tree Group

Author: Danielle Fairchild

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Lawrence County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) assistant partnered with the Family Resource Center at Louisa East and West Elementary Schools to provide the Healthy Choices for Every Body nutrition program for parents and/ or guardians of the children in the angel tree program. The seven required lessons were taught during the 2017 fall season. Recipe samples and kitchen reinforcements were provided during each lesson. The SNAP-Ed assistant enrolled and graduated 17 pare

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JRA Group

Author: Danielle Fairchild

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Job Readiness Activities (JRA) group is a newpartnership as a result of visiting with the Lawrence County DCBS Office staffand attending a local Interagency Council meeting. Six adults enrolled andgraduated from the SNAP-Ed program.The Food and Physical Activity Exit Questionnaire showedthat 50% of participants improved in diet quality and ate more fruit andred/orange vegetables more often throughout the week. In addition, 67% ate darkgreen vegetables more often. Participants also repor

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Families Learning Together

Author: Teresa King

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Families throughout Kentucky try to juggle their busy schedules the best they can. Sometimes the ball that drops is the one that includes leading a healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating habits are pushed to the side due to time. Therefore, some families choose fast food or processed foods, which may create health issues.Meade County Cooperative Extension Service and Ekron Elementary partnered to offer a summer program for parents/guardians and their children. The Healthy Choice for Every Body Progra

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Making Healthy Choices

Author: Teresa King

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Nearly all the counties within Kentucky are rural, Meade County is one of them. There are only two grocery stores throughout the county. The closest grocery store from the small city of Muldraugh is located twelve miles away. Unfortunately, the majority of residents do not have any mode of transportation. Convenient stores are their only choice, so when they do get the opportunity to shop at a grocery store, planning ahead is crucial for their health and for their food budget.The City of Muldrau

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Better Out Than In: The Fiber Factor

Author: Joel Worth

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Fiber is an important part of the human diet, and according to the USDA’s Choose My Plate. Gov (www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate): “Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Consuming foods containing fiber, such as whole grains, as part of a healthy diet, may reduce constipation.” A rehabilitation house for men in Jefferson County participated in the University of Ke

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Better than McDonald’s

Author: Joel Worth

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Positive things can happen when children are introduced to healthy eating and lifestyle changes at an early age. An Early Education Center in Jefferson County participated in the University of Kentucky’s Nutrition Education Program through the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Services. The program: LEAP (Literacy, Eating, and Activity for Primary) uses storybooks to teach children about staying healthy, being physically active, and eating more fruits and vegetables, low-fat

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Food Safety, Better Safe than Sorry!

Author: Joel Worth

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Food Safety has always been important, especially here and now in Jefferson County with the outbreak of Hepatitis A. According to the www.louisvilleky.gov website:“There is a hepatitis A outbreak in Louisville.  The outbreak was declared in November of 2017.  As of June 22, 2018, there have been 478 cases and 3 deaths associated with this outbreak.”  A rehabilitation program for men in Jefferson County participated in the University of Kentucky’s Nutrition E

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Know the Limits: Water GOOD, Sugary Drinks BAD

Author: Joel Worth

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Studies taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website (www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/sugar-sweetened-beverages-intake.html) of the twenty-three states and Washington, DC that were surveyed, seven of those states showed that 35% or more adults were daily Sugar Sweetened Beverage consumers. Kentucky was one of the seven states. A quote taken from the CDC website states:  “Frequently drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with  weight

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Creating Healthier Fallsburg Families

Author: Ruth Kirk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Assistant partnered with Fallsburg Elementary School Family Resource Youth Service Coordinator (FRYSC) to offer the Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum to parents. The FRYSC coordinator was looking for a series that would address nutrition, health, food safety, the importance of family mealtimes and planning meals. We all have heard the phrase “lead by example.” The Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum provides parents wi

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Keeping Families Safe From Foodborne Illness

Author: Christy Blevins

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year 48 million peopleget sick from foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.The UK Cooperative Extension Service SNAP-Ed Assistant partnered with Just FamilyAdult Daycare to educate their participants on the importance of proper food safety techniques in the kitchen. Upon entry only 40% of the participants were washing their hands before preparing food and cleaning kitchen surfaces after cutting raw meats. Using

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STOMACH ACHE

Author: Patara Strunk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

“STOMACH ACHE”08/16/2018PATARA STRUNKEXPANDED FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAM ASSISTANTPERRY COUNTY KYThe Perry County Cooperative Extension Service Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program assistant along with a private community partner held a series of nutrition lessons from the Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum. Classes were held weekly with four participants finishing the series of classes.Most participants indicated the lesson on food safety was filled with surpris

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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN THE DIET

Author: Patara Strunk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN THE DIET08/15/2018PATARA STRUNKEXPANDED FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAM ASSISTANTPERRY COUNTY KYThe Perry County Cooperative Extension Service’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program assistant partnered with Kentucky River community Care to bring the Healthy Choices curriculum to a group of young women with children. The Centers for Disease Control’s 2018 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables states that “Only 1 in

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LEAP

Author: Viola Wood

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the most recent studies 33.5% of Kentucky youth ages 2-17 are considered obese. Muhlenberg County has a youth obesity rate of 37%, slightly higher than the state average. Obesity often results in an even higher risk of developing serious chronic diseases.In collaboration with the Muhlenberg County Public School system the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and the SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education Program Assistant partnered together to address the childhood obesity problem in M

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Let's Bake Day Camp

Author: Viola Wood

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

It has been stated that a child is more likely to have a healthier lifestyle the more they are present and cooking the in kitchen. Teaching children basic skills such as cooking and baking is important because it is a skill that will be carried into their adult life. The Muhlenberg County Cooperative Extension Service recognized the importance of teaching young participants basic food preparation and presented a program called Let’s Bake.The Let’s Bake Day Camp had 30 parti

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Healthy Mom Equals Healthy Baby

Author: Viola Wood

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

 5.3% of the babies born in the United States are born to teen moms, Kentucky is slightly higher at 5.4% and Muhlenberg County, KY is slightly higher than the state average at 6%. Teen who become pregnant can be nutritionally at risk, because many do not have healthy eating habits and their diets are often high in fats, sugars, and calories, but low in nutritional value. Pathways of Hope, a local pregnancy center and the SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education Program Assistant worked together to

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OBESITY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Author: Patara Strunk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

OBESITY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY8/14/2018PATARA STRUNKEXPANDED FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAM ASSISTANTPERRY COUNTY KYThe Perry County Cooperative Extension Service’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program assistant in conjunction with the Hazard Vocational and Technical School delivered a series of 7 classes to a group that were in a job readiness program.The pre class survey indicated that 0% of the group participated in at least 30 minutes of daily exercise. Lack of physical a

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All in A Day’s Work

Author: Barbara Campbell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Fleming County recently celebrated the 100th month of food delivery from God’s Pantry.The SNAP-Ed assistant along with other Fleming County Cooperative Extension Personnel and volunteers from many of the local churches work together to hold the much needed food giveaway.  With there being between 700 and 800 families on the pantry list a four month rotation of the recipients is necessary as there is only enough food delivered each month for 140 families. Most of the ones receiving the

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Canning and Freezing

Author: Cindy Maggard

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to research at the University of Kentucky, home canning has changed greatly in the last 200 years, but we have found ways to produce safer, higher quality foods. The motivating factors behind home canning are better taste, less cost, and self-satisfaction. Using proper food handling procedures and research-based recommendations can help participants reach reality of canning and freezing their own products without the risk of foodborne illness. In cooperation with the Knott County

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Eating more fruits and vegtables

Author: Toina Williams

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

SUCCESS STORY – Eating more fruits and vegetablesOUTCOME – Initial OutcomeNUTRITION ASSISTANT – Toni Williams, Hardin CountyStatistics show that on an average 24.3% or about 1 in 5 women experience domestic violence by their intimate partner. The Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence has provided assistance to 4,803 women, men, and children, with emergency shelter and transitional housing. So, when the opportunity arose to go have classes at the Springhaven Shelter

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Healthy Rehabilitation

Author: Janie Oliver

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Knott County, Kentucky tops the nation in drug abuse and is also listed as the fourth unhealthiest county in the state. Much research has been done to show a link to drug abuse and poor nutrition, and how proper nutrition habits play an important role in the rehabilitation process. Most recovering addicts have developed serious nutritional deficiencies of key proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals all of which disrupt their ability to digest carbohydrates and absorb nutrients effectively.Lea

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Hyper for a Sodium Free Diet

Author: Mary Elaine Burton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Hyper for a Sodium Free DietThe Kentucky Health Facts’ most recent report states that the percentage of adults who have hypertension in Johnson County is 59%. Johnson County is among the top 10 counties in Kentucky for other health diseases as well. Studies have shown that there is a natural link between nutrition, physical activity and behaviors toward healthy lifestyles. The Johnson County SNAP-Ed assistant held a ten-week series of lessons that utilized the Healthy Choices for Ever

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Horses and Healthy Choices

Author: Lorie Dunn

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Northern Kentucky School Districts counted 2,939 students as homeless during the 2016-17 school year. The figure includes Boone, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, and Pendleton Counties. These children were either living on the street, in cars, shelters, low cost hotels, or with family and friends. The Grant County Nutrition Education Program (NEP), in conjunction with Lovesome Stables Equitherapy Staff and Volunteers, Upspring, and a Grant County’s Master Food Volunteer, had the opportun

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Cooking through the Calendar

Author: Robin Burton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Cooking and figuring out what to cook, can be challenging to individuals who are just learning, and even to the most experienced of cooks as well. Recently, the Nutrition Education Program Assistant from the Grayson County Extension Office began a program using the 2018 Food & Nutrition Calendar issued by the University of Kentucky for Cooperative Extension Services. The NEP Assistant began each lesson teaching from the “Healthy Choices for Every Body” curriculum and then wo

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Making Healthier Choices

Author: Robin Burton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

For the residents of Grayson County, KY., making healthier choices has become more important than ever before. Recently the Nutrition Education Program Assistant held a series of classes at the Grayson County Extension Office entitled, “Making Healthier Choices.” The NEP assistant used the “Healthy Choices for Every Body” curriculum.  A total of 15 participants started the program, with 6 successfully finishing the series with impressive results. Among the graduates,

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Getting a Head Start

Author: Robin Burton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Recently at the Breckenridge/Grayson Head Start Program, in Grayson County, KY., the Nutrition Education Program Assistant, from the Grayson County Extension Office, taught a series of nutrition classes, using the “Healthy Choices for Every Body” curriculum. The class started with ten participants, but, unfortunately only 3 of those attended all seven of the core classes in order to complete the series. However, among those who did complete the series, there were major incr

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Saving Hope and Health

Author: Robin Burton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Saving Hope Charities is a non-profit, non-denominational, Christ-centered living facility for women with children, or expectant mothers.  Saving Hope Charities offers a six month and up to one year program for women and their children who are homeless and/or trying to break free of the system and rebuild their independence. Each lady is required to complete trainings in parenting skills, relationship building, child discipline methods, home maintenance, cooking and banking. They are also t

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Benefits from the Fruit Group

Author: Rachel Wright

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

People who eat more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Fruit provides nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 46.2% of adults in Kentucky reported consuming fruit less than one time daily. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistant in Rockcastle County, Kentucky provided a seven week program at the Adult Education Ce

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Washing Fruits and Vegetables

Author: Rachel Wright

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Each year 1 in 6 American’s get sick from eating contaminated food. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 15% of foods related to illness stem from not washing fruits and vegetables. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistant in Rockcastle County, Kentucky provided a 6 day program at the Rockcastle County Middle School using the Teen Cuisine curriculum with 8th grade students. 27 students participated in the program. Each lesson had a focus on f

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Confidence in Cooking

Author: Rachel Wright

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Center for Nutrition Studies, teaching kids to cook helps them do basic math (measuring), teaches patience, teaches the value of money, and most importantly it creates opportunities to talk about healthy choices in their diets.The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistant in Rockcastle County, Kentucky provided a 6 day program at the Rockcastle County Middle School using the Teen Cuisine curriculum with 8th grade students. 25 students participated in the program.

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Exercise Implementation

Author: Rachel Wright

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the loss of strength and stamina attributed to aging is in part caused by reduced physical activity. Inactivity decreases with age and by the age of 75, 1 in 3 men and 1 in 2 women are no longer active. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistant in Rockcastle County, Kentucky provided a series of 7 lessons, each including physical activities tips at the Wayne Stewart Adult Daycare. At the conclusion of each l

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Martin County Drug Court - Living Healthier

Author: Robin Thompson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Martin County Drug Court Making Healthier Choices According to 2015 KYHealthFacts.org, approximately 3,981Martin County residents received assistance from the Supplemental NutritionAssistance Program (SNAP). A large majority of these individuals are drug dependentand participate in the Martin County Drug Court Program. 90% of attendeessuffer with inaccessibility to nutritious foods and practice unhealthy eatinghabits.  To address the issue and these individuals, The Supplemen

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Eating More fruits and Vegetables

Author: Cindy Maggard

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the state of Kentucky is 31.6% obese.  The Nutrition Education Program in Knott County teaches low income families about nutrition and how to budget their money.  Teaching these families how to eat properly and budget for it can lower the obesity rate in Kentucky.The CDC reports that 46.2% of Kentuckians eat less than one time daily the recommended amount of fruit.  It also reports that 24.9% eat less than one time d

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Job, Readiness & Activity

Author: Ruth Kirk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Lawrence County Expanded Food Nutrition Assistant (EFNEP) partnered with the Job Readiness & Activity Instructor to offer the Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum. The seven (7) required lessons were taught to four (4) participants including ten (10) total family members. With each lesson participants had a recipe sample and kitchen reinforcement item to compliment the lesson taught.As a result, 100% of participants practiced food safety more often; washing hands before preparing foo

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Laugh and Learn Play Dates

Author: Joy Rose

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The most recently hired nutritional assistant to the extension office, needed to add more youth to her clientele. The age group, which the current nutritional program, had less attendance was the pre-school to age 8 children. The challenge was how to attract this group to attend, and provide education to parents or guardians who must bring the children. To address this challenge the nutritional assistant used a program designed for this age group of children, The Learning, Eating, and Activities

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Taste Test Third Tuesday

Author: Joy Rose

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

New clients, ones that had not been served by the local extension office, were needed by the most recently hired nutrition assistant. In observing the current clients who attended programs at the extension office, most seemed to be retired people, without children. The assistant decided to target Families with children of all ages as potential clients for a new program. Materials available to use, in addition to the approved Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program curriculum, were He

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Risk of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Author: Connie Downey

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sugar-sweetened beverages or sugary drinks are the leading sources of added sugars in our diets. Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can increase the risk for weight gain/obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. A Healthy Choices for Every Body programs conducted by the Clay County Cooperative Extension Service Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education assistant for SNAP eligible individuals. The curriculum, Know the Limit

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Food Safety with Senior Citizens

Author: Connie Downey

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that one in six Americans get sick from contaminated foods or beverages each year and 3,000 die. The Clay County Cooperative Extension Service Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education assistant for SNAP eligible individuals partnered with Manchester Heights to provide the Healthy Choice program to their senior citizen residents. The Healthy Choices curriculum teaches participants to make healthier food choices how to keep

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LET’S MAKE PIZZA

Author: Deborah Scaggs

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

For the past two summers, the SNAP-Ed assistant and the Family and Consumer Sciences program assistant have partnered together to conduct a nutrition camp entitled ‘Let’s Make Pizza’ using the Teen Cuisine curriculum. Each year a different area of the county is chosen since transportation is an issue for some of the children to come to the Extension office. This year’s summer nutrition camp was held at the Bent Branch Community Park located in the Johns Creek area.&n

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Giving Back a Little to Those Who Gave a Lot

Author: Deborah Scaggs

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

This is the first year the Pike County Cooperative Extension Service Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) partnered with Shelby Valley Veterans Transitional Housing to provide nutritional classes to the veterans that are housed there. Transitional housing is affordable, supportive housing designed to provide services for up to two (2) years for veterans who are homeless or close to homelessness. During this time the staff assist the veterans’ with many different se

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Inclusion

Author: Deborah Scaggs

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Pike County Cooperative Extension Office and Christ Central Training Academy have collaborated for the past three years. This year, the SNAP-Ed assistant used the Teen Cuisine curriculum with children in grades 4-8. Twelve students were enrolled.The Teen Cuisine curriculum has a nutrition, food safety, food preparation, and physical activity component in each lesson. There are six lessons with this curriculum. Students were introduced to a healthy diet using MyPlate, they

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Healthy Kids are Better Learners

Author: Kathleen "Happy" Raffaele

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Research shows that one in three youth in this country are overweight or obese. (American Heart Association) Teaching kids that exercise can be fun may help these numbers to improve.Every Healthy Kids Week has been held the last week of April since 2013. The mission of Every Healthy Kid is to mobilize school professionals, families and communities to take actions that lead to healthy eating, physical activity and healthier schools where kids will thrive.With this in mind, the (SNAP) Supplemental

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Sumitomo NEP

Author: Heather Shaw

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

One of the largest employers in Metcalfe County called upon the SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education) assistant.  The director of Human Resources wanted to provide an opportunity for all employees to take better control of their health.  According to recent data from the CDC, 20% of all Metcalfe Countians have been diagnosed with diabetes.  Heart Disease is also prevalent, with 45% of adults having been diagnosed with hypertension and 371 deaths in 2014 due

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Shelter NEP classes

Author: Heather Shaw

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In Metcalfe County, there is a homeless shelter owned and maintained by a park.  Anyone in a low resource situation is welcome to stay for up to 30 days.  While staying there, it was evident that many of them faced obstacles such as poverty and disease and the park felt it was a perfect time to provide education in hopes of helping them gain knowledge in ways that would benefit them.  Staff at the park requested the Metcalfe County Extension Service to teach people staying in the

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Library NEP Classes

Author: Heather Shaw

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the CDC's National Outbreak Reporting System latest data, 338 Kentuckians fell ill and 28 were hospitalized due to foodborne illness in 2016.  In an effort to address these issues, a 12 month program was conducted by the Metcalfe County Cooperative Extension Service SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Education Assistance Program Education) Assistant.  The program provided nutritional education as well as food safety and food resource management information. Classes were h

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Golden Years NEP Classes

Author: Heather Shaw

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Metcalfe County has an obesity rate of 34% according to the latest data from the CDC.  The county also has a number of people with diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease with about 20% have diabetes and about 27% having cardiovascular disease.  Golden Years is a senior citizen day program facility that accommodates about 20 people each day.  The director wanted to focus on health and nutrition as well as get some healthier recipes in rotation there.  He also wanted the partic

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LEAP with Trinity Christian Academy

Author: Danielle Fairchild

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Lawrence County Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP-Ed) assistant partnered with Trinity Christian Academy School to provide LEAP (Literacy, Eating and Activity for Preschool/Primary) to preschool-age children. The SNAP-Ed assistant visited two classrooms six times.  During each visit, the SNAP-Ed assistant read a LEAP book; provided a healthy snack related to the story book; and provided a SNAP-Ed reinforcement item for each child to take home. A total of 35 preschoolers wer

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"LEAP" ing for Success

Author: Janie Oliver

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Kentucky as a whole has high poverty and food insecurity rates when you compare it to the United States.  The U.S. poverty percentage is 14.4% while Kentucky alone is an astounding 18.5%.It is estimated that 1,398 children in Knott County, KY are living in poverty.  Since 2007, there has been a 20.8% increase in families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) in Knott County and it is estimated that 5,165 families qualifying for the program.  The Nutriti

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Adding Fruit to our Diets

Author: Judy McGuire

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

                                         Adding Fruit to Our Diet.Based on the information gathered from the entry food recall given to clients at the beginning of nutrition classes, only 27% meet the recommended daily amount of fruit consumption each day. After teaching several classes on MyPlate and the importance of eating from all five food groups, the Floyd County Cooperative Extens

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Literacy, Eating and Activity for Preschool Youth

Author: Melissa Webb

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

It is extremely important for young children to know where their food comes from and to know how it grows.  By knowing where their food comes from, they are more likely to try new foods and help prepare family meals.  A study conducted by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) found that in 2007–2010, 60% of children aged 1–18 years did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Patterns fruit intake recommendations, and 93% did not meet vegetable recommendations. The

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New Outlook

Author: Melissa Webb

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the US Census Bureau, in Hopkins County, there are more than 2900 people over the age of 60 and over 1300 live alone.   This can create great challenges for those individuals in regards to their overall health; primarily their physical health, mental health, and nutritional needsThe Nutrition Education Program in Hopkins County lead a class that focuses on healthy eating, budgeting and food safety in partnership with the Dawson Springs Senior Center, it consisted of 8 senior ci

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Meals at Home

Author: Melissa Webb

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

It is estimated over 40% of children are left home at some time, due to parents working multiple jobs. The Nutrition Education Program in Hopkins County partnered with the Hopkins County Housing Authority to present a 6 session class to teach Stay at home Children cooking methods without using the stove-top and oven. The children ages 6-12 were taught meals they could easily make, that tasted great and were nutritious. One student said, “With me being the oldest and in charge of meals we a

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Healthy Choices for Everybody

Author: Melissa Webb

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Hopkins County NEP paraprofessional taught 65 number of limited resource families how to serve more nutritious meals, to keep foods safe, and to utilize local food resources effectively.  98.5% of NEP families made an improvement in the nutritional quality of their diet.      52% of NEP graduate families consumed a diet of higher quality because they planned meals using My Plate, considered healthy choices, and used the "Nutrition Facts" label.  56% of fami

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Youth Improve Dairy Knowledge

Author: Sarah Spears

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Youth Improve Dairy KnowledgeAn essential goal of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program is to equip youth of all ages with nutritional knowledge. Doing so ensures that they grow to make healthy decisions later on as adults. This is a particularly important task for Floyd County. According to the Floyd County Fitness and Nutrition Coalition, a child born today in this county can expect to live seven years less than a child born in Fayette County. While only 120 miles apart, the

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K-2 Youth Learn Food Safety

Author: Sarah Spears

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

K-2 Youth Learn Food Safety Food safety education is one of many subjects that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program emphasizes. While it is a suitable topic for all ages to learn, food safety education is particularly important for young children. Kids do not automatically know how to be safe in the kitchen; they have to be taught. Practicing food safety ensures that we all grow to be healthy and safe.This summer, the Floyd County Cooperative Extension Office Supplem

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Changing lives for the Healthier

Author: Janie Oliver

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Knott County, KY tops the nation in drug abuse and also listed as the 4th unhealthiest county in the state.  Most recovering addicts lack vital nutrients because they don’t eat enough and the food they do eat is not healthy options.  Learning to make healthy food choices is important to achieve a healthy lifestyle. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Nutrition Education Program (NEP) assistant and the Knott County Judicial System collaborated to allow th

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Learning When to Wash Our Hands

Author: Brenda Williamson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

School was back in session in Pulaski County of Somerset Ky. Some of the teachers in the Primary grades were concerned about the children spreading germs among  themselves, due to not washing their hands. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program Assistant for the Pulaski County Cooperative Extension Service collaborated with one of the first grades in Pulaski Elementary School.  The Assistant offered to come into the classroom and present a program that would hopefully help with th

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Hickman County Makes Healthy Choices

Author: Lisa Dodson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Hickman County Nutrition Educational Program paraprofessional taught forty-three limited resource families how to serve more nutritious meals, to keep foods safe, and to utilize local food resources effectively. 100% of the Nutrition Education Program families made an improvement in the nutritional quality of their diet. 70% of Nutritional Education Program graduated families consumed a diet of higher quality because they planned meals using My Plate, considered healthy choices, and use

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Born to Learn

Author: Lisa Dodson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Hickman County Extension Service Nutrition Education Program Assistant along with the Family and Consumer Science Agent collaborated with Hickman County Board of Education and Hickman County Family Resource Center targeted parents of children infant through age five about better nutrition by improving their diet quality, food safety, resource management and increasing physical activity. Twelve families met for six sessions using the Healthy Choice curriculum with 100% of the families ma

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Carlisle County Makes Healthy Choices

Author: Lisa Dodson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Food-insecure and SNAP recipients to often face challenging circumstances in trying to consume a healthful diet and maintain a healthful weight such as more sedentary lifestyles, increased portion sizes, and the ability to purchase fruits and vegetables. Those who are food-insecure or low-income may face unique challenges in adopting and maintaining healthful behavior changes. The Carlisle County Nutrition Educational Program paraprofessional taught twenty-five limited resource families how

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Nutrition in Recovery from Addiction

Author: Lisa Dodson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the US National Library of Medicine, substance abuse hurts the body in multiple ways, including physically and mentally, having a particularly negative impact on lifestyle and nutrition. Drugs and alcohol not only affect a person’s outer appearance, but also their internal systems like metabolism, organ function, and mental well-being. Implementing proper nutrition can help someone recovering from addiction heal faster and more effectively. When the body is out of balance, it

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Better Beverages

Author: Valerie Robinette

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

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Food Safety !!

Author: Valerie Robinette

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Pike County Cooperative Extension Service Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Programpartnered with the Pike County Detention Center and WestCare for a sixth year to provide theHealthy Choices for Every Body curriculum.The MyPlate curriculum was utilized as residents learned how to prepare fresh, healthy foods usingeach of the food groups. They gained skills in meal planning, budgeting for food spending, foodsafety, and proper exercise. Family health was emphasized as they learned how to p

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Wash up, be more Active and eatting more Vegetables for better health

Author: Vernell Sheets

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

 In Morgan County, 66%of children with families lives below the 200% federal poverty level (2017)Kentucky kids count. Board of Education and Morgan County Cooperative Extension Services teamed up to address nutrition, hand washing, and physical activity for students  Nutrition Education Program Assistance part of Extension Services   taught the Professor Popcorn curriculum which emphasizes My plate. Classes were taught to all 3rd graders from Morgan Schools(213). As a re

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Changing Communities

Author: Janie Oliver

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Knott County is currently described as the fourth unhealthiest county in the state of Kentucky.  In 2015, 5,165 residents received SNAP benefits with 91% participation percentage.  An estimated 5,113 residents in Knott County live in poverty with 1,398 of those being children.The Knott County Nutrition Education Program (NEP) paraprofessional taught 70 limited resource families how to serve more nutritious meals, to keep food safe and to utilize local food resources effectively. 73% of

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Lewis County Resident has Life Changing Result

Author: Brad Stone

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the CDC, Kentucky ranks 7th in the US in heart disease, 4th for diabetes and 1st for cancer death rates. These extremely frightening statistics are due much in part to an extreme lack of physical activity (28% of Kentuckians report no physical activity whatsoever) and a high obesity rate (34% of Kentuckians are reported as being obese). While certain environmental factors and/or hereditary issues cannot simply be corrected overnight, eating and exercise habits can. These issues pres

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Get Up Get Moving

Author: Judy McGuire

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Get Up Get MovingKnowing that physical exercise and nutrition is an important part of drug and alcohol rehabilitation, Floyd County Drug Court contacted the Floyd County Cooperative Extension Service Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) assistant for help with this project. The Food and Physical Activity Entry Questionnaire was given at the beginning    of classes. There were seventeen (17) participants enrolled. Only forty-one percent (41%) met recommendatio

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KSU EFNEP Cooking camp

Author: Jhamicah Harbut

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The rise in the cost of living has many families on a tight budget. One of the increases in the cost of living is food. Food is a significant expense in the United States. Many families can not afford to eat out due to the high cost of food. It is important to asses your eating habits and to look at your finances and make a budget.Research shows that it is cheaper to cook meals than it is to eat out in a restaurant. One of the ways KSU EFNEP Fayette County participated in finding ways to reduce

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Diabetes

Author: Kati Noble

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to 2014 Kentucky County Healthcare Profiles for Breathitt County, 15.8% of the adult population in Breathitt County have diabetes.Breathitt County SNAP-Ed Assistant, Kati Noble, in partnership with the Juniper Health Diabetes Prevention Program, taught Breathitt County adults the Healthy Choices Curriculum. As a part of the class participants learned how important is it to eat healthy, limiting the amount of sugar consumed. Also, participants learned how to plan meals.Entry and exit fo

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Cooking for a Change

Author: Kati Noble

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to 2014 Kentucky Healthcare Profiles for Breathitt County, 39.8% of the adult population in Breathitt County are obese.Breathitt County SNAP-Ed Assistant, Kati Noble, taught Breathitt County adults the Healthy Choices Curriculum during the program Cooking with Kati. As a part of the class participants learned about healthy food choices, eating better on a budget, and food safety.Entry and exit forms were used as a method to track participant’s learning and improvements. Behavior

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Organ Wise Guys Fights Childhood Obesity

Author: Sherry Ragsdale

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Although Oldham County is considered the healthiest county in Kentucky,childhood obesity is still a problem.  Behavior risks associated with obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease, start in the childhood years.  In order to improve healthy eating habits in children in Oldham County, the Organ Wise lessons were presented for the third straight year to K-2nd grades, in two schools.  Strong reinforcements and physical activity went along with the six lesson program teaching &nbs

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Growing Vegetables

Author: Kati Noble

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the 2017 Kentucky Kids Count data, 42.9% of children in Breathitt County live in poverty, while 16% of children in Breathitt County live in deep poverty. One way to fight poverty is growing and consuming one’s own vegetables at home.Breathitt County SNAP-Ed Assistant, Kati Noble, in partnership with the Breathitt County Public School System, taught the LEAP (Literacy, Eating, and Activity for Primary) Curriculum. During one visit with a Kindergarten Grade class, the book, How

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Changing Lives With Food Safety

Author: Sherry Ragsdale

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to twenty years of data analyzed by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017, correctional inmates are 6.4 times more likely to suffer from a food related illness than the average American.In an effort to improve food safety practices at the local correctional facility, the Oldham County EFNEP assistant partnered with other educators in the community to teach healthy living practices to inmates in the Substance Abuse Program.  The Healthy Choices Cur

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Healthy Choices for EveryBody-2017-18

Author: Rohdene Rollins

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Healthy Choices for EveryBody in Henderson CountyRohdene Rollins-SNAP-Ed AssistantThe Christian Outreach Food Pantry in Henderson County fills about five thousand and sixty food boxes a year to the limited resource families in the community. Christian Outreach Food Pantry wanted to start a garden so they could receive some fresh vegetables for their clients and they could also learn how to grow and take care of a garden. The SNAP-Ed Assistant (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) of the He

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Where are the Kids? In the Kitchen Cooking!

Author: Karen Kummer

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Karen Kummer/SNAP-EdSeptember 25, 2018Success StoryTitle: Where are the Kids? In the Kitchen Cooking!Major Program: 2066 – Accessing Nutritious Foods (General)Outcome Type: IntermediateA youth group at St. Vincent De Paul in Jefferson County participated in an after-school program using MyPlate curriculum. Many of the youth were not familiar with cooking equipment and tools and the cooking process, in general. The youth participated in 6 different lessons, which were organiz

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Food B&B: Breakfast and Budgeting

Author: Brittany Thomas

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

                An adult Nutrition Education Program group with 6 female participants was held at one of the eight Family Health Centers in Jefferson County. Lessons were presented by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Educator (SNAP-Ed) with the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Service using the “Healthy Choices for Every Body” curriculum, which focused around seven core lessons. Out of the population of 760,026 people, 1

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MyFuture with MyPlate

Author: Brittany Thomas

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Eleven youth groups, with 198 children total, at Dawson Orman Headstart were taught by a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Educator (SNAP-Ed) through the Nutrition Education Program in Jefferson County. Children around the preschool age should be introduced the most basic information about food groups, so the SNAP-Ed Assistant focused solely on each of the five food groups throughout each of the six lessons, which is known as MyPlate.              &nbsp

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What You Don't Know About Food Safety May Hurt You

Author: Brittany Thomas

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

An adult Nutrition Education Program group with 7 senior participants was held at Flaget Apartments in Jefferson County. During the discussion portion of the Food Safety Lesson, all of the clients shared they did not pay attention to thawing frozen food correctly, and none of the participants used meat thermometers. Throughout the discussion period, it was made clear proper thawing methods and meat thermometer demonstrations should be the main focus for this particular group.     

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Sugar, We're Going Down

Author: Brittany Thomas

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

An adult Nutrition Education Program group with 17 participants was held at one of the eight Family Health Centers in Jefferson County. Lessons were presented by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Educator (SNAP-Ed) with the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Service using the “Healthy Choices for Every Body” curriculum, which focused around seven core lessons. During the discussion portion of the Know the Limits Lesson, many of the participants shared they consumed la

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Hello Bites

Author: Vanessa Harris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Hello Bites Trying to get children to try different foods is sometimesdifficult to do: however, with a little encouragement from others, it canhappen.  That’s what happened during alesson about MyPlate taught at Clover Bud Camp.  While presenting the lesson, the SNAP-Edassistant talked about always trying new foods because one never knows ifhe/she will like it.  A variety of fruitswas purchased and used for tasting during snack time.  Two children, who didn’t

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Recruiting Participants into the SNAP-ED Program

Author: Vanessa Harris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

RecruitingParticipants into the SNAP-Ed Program Recruiting participants into the SNAP-Ed program has been achallenge. But one day, I received a phone call about food preservation and referredthe person to another extension office, since our Family and Consumer SciencesExtension Agent transferred.  While talkingwith this person, she told me that she would like to learn more about food andnutrition.  So, I asked her if she wouldlike to join one of my SNAP-ED classes and she said &ld

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Super Star Chef

Author: Brittany Bowling

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The obesity epidemic threatens the quality and years of life of Kentuckians. Obese individuals are at increased risk for many chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancers. According to the 2017 Nutrition Education Program Annual Report data gathered in 2013 indicated that 43.2% of Leslie County's population were considered obese.  Also, 37% of the county’s population does not consider themselves physically active. Increased

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Summer Learning Can Let to a Healthier Future

Author: Kelsey Zalac

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Good healthy habits such as diet and physical activity that are formed at a young age are likely to impact and improve a person’s well-being. According to the CDC, only 21.6% of 6 to 19-year-olds in the US get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity on at least 5 days per week. In order to help children become more active and aware of healthy choices, Boone County Extension Services EFNEP (Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program) assistant conducted a youth program during the sum

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Partnership with Detention Center

Author: Kelsey Zalac

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In December of 2016, there were about 6.6 million people in correctional facilities. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 54% of released prisoners were arrested during the first year following their release. With an increase of life-skill programs in correctional centers, that percentage is expected to decrease. For this reason, the director of the Chemical Dependency Program at Campbell County Detention Center contacted the Cooperative Extension Service looking for in-house pro

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Our Challenge

Author: Sherry Becknell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Owsley County Extension Service partnered with Owsley County Elementary school with a second grade challenge. We all know how small children can become our pickiest eaters. What better way to encourage them to try different foods than to challenge them. With that being said we did just that and for six months the entire second grade had to keep a journal and try at least one new food per month. To my surprise it was a great success with participants trying and tasting new foods.A total of 52

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Cooking For the Clueless

Author: Sherry Becknell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Owsley County EFNEP Assistant partnered with the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and provided a cooking camp targeting children age 5-12 years. Curriculum used were Super Star Chef. Children were taught cutting skills, measuring skills, and reading recipes etc. A total of eleven children participated in the six week course. Eight out of the eleven had no skills in cooking when they began the program.At the end of each day the students prepared a recipe using the skills acquired that day.

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Learning the Healthy way with Professor Popcorn

Author: Dorisa Johnson-Hickman

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

More than 50% of the students at Ninth District Elementary receive free and reduced lunch. The Kenton County Cooperative Extension Services Nutrition Education Program Assistant along with the Community Learning Coordinator at Ninth District Elementary used the Professor Popcorn Nutrition curriculum to teach students the importance of healthy food choices.  With more than 100 students in the afterschool program, the Nutrition Education Program Assistant worked with 32 students in grades fir

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A Healthier Me

Author: Sherry Becknell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Owsley County EFNEP Assistant along with 11 parents ranging in ages from 21 - 55 participated in a nutritional and physical challenge to becoming a healthier you. Over a period of six weeks the assistant focused on budgeting and healthier meals, providing a healthier alternative recipe after each lesson. Followed by some type of physical activity while reviewing the progress in each participant.The main focus was directed toward nutrition. A total of 36 pounds was lost during this challenge.

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Making it Count

Author: Sherry Becknell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Healthy Choice Curriculum lessons range from, My Plate, Meal Planning, Keeping Foods Safe, Grains, Fruits, Eating Better on a Budget and so on. Here in Owsley County money is an ongoing issue with each and every family. Budget was the main focus for our program families. After the completion of each lesson, focus was turned to budget. The budgeting lesson included meal planning, couponing, shopping sales and using left over food items. At the end of the year from list of 64 families, 59

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Food Safety Practices

Author: Dorisa Johnson-Hickman

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Kenton County Extension Services Nutrition Education Program Assistant worked with the service coordinator at Colony Senior Apartments to provide a group of 20 seniors, 19 female and 1 male a series on nutrition classes using the Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum.The Nutrition Program Assistant taught Know the Limits, Reading Labels, and Food Safety, with Food Safety being the most impactful in the series. With the Food Safety lesson the Nutrition Program Assistant taught about the im

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Cultivating Foodie Kids

Author: Billie Porciello

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In 2017, there were over 21,000 homeschool students K-12 in Kentucky. According to The Kentucky Department of Education, the parent is responsible for providing the curriculum and the instructional materials for children being homeschooled. Families explore and research programs to enhance their teaching curriculum and give opportunity to network with other homeschoolers. The Boone County Cooperative Extension Nutrition Program Assistant developed a series of classes teaching “Healthy Choi

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Florence Seniors Learn Tips to Live Well

Author: Billie Porciello

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In Kentucky 24% of residents 60 and over received food stamps in the last year. In 2016, The Northern Kentucky Health Department formed Live Well, a coalition of agencies in Boone County to help residents of Florence achieve healthy lifestyles. The Boone County Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Program Assistant was a partner member of the Healthy Eating subcommittee, committed to researching how to help communities in need of nutrition and food budgeting education.  The assistant p

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Feeding the Body and Mind

Author: Billie Porciello

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Feeding the Body and MindFood insecurity is an issue in Boone County, especially during the summer months when school is not in session. There are more than 2,300 sites in Kentucky providing almost 2.8 million breakfasts, lunches and snacks to Kentucky children annually through the Summer Food Service Program for Children (SFSP). Beginning in June, the Boone County Nutrition Assistant partnered with the Boone County Public Library to assist in a weekly free dinner for families in The Greens

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Fun Exercises and Healthy Snacks

Author: Kati Noble

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the 2016 Kentucky Kids Count data, Breathitt County ranks 115 out of 120 counties in Kentucky for the health of children.Breathitt County SNAP-Ed Assistant, Kati Noble, in partnership with the Breathitt County School System, taught the LEAP (Literacy, Eating, and Activity for Primary) Curriculum. During one visit with a 1st and 2nd Grade class, the book, I.Q. Gets Fit, was read to 20 students. Students then completed activities where they learned about the benefits of physical activ

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A Vegetable Garden for All

Author: Billie Porciello

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

A Vegetable Garden for AllThe Bill and Betsy Scheben Community Center provides care for adults needing supervision during daytime hours. Activities offered at the center give entertainment, enjoyment, and companionship amongst peers similar to them. The Boone County Cooperative Extension Nutrition Assistant arranged a monthly series throughout the year with the participants of the adult day group to incorporate health education, gardening, and cooking skills into their routine. The assistant ide

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Make it Simple, Healthy & Affordable

Author: Karen Kummer

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Karen Kummer/SNAP-EdSeptember 26, 2018Success StoryTitle: Make it Simple, Healthy & AffordableMajor Program: 2066-Accessing Nutritious Food (General)Outcome Type: IntermediateAn adult group in Jefferson County participated in the Kentucky Nutrition Education Program with the Cooperative Extension Service. The class was held at an Adult Senior Community Center. Buying and preparing healthy food on a budget for one person was very difficult for many seniors.The lessons were

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Healthy Choices for EveryBody 2017-18

Author: Rohdene Rollins

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Healthy Choices for EveryBody in Henderson CountyRohdene Rollins-SNAP-Ed AssistantAccording to Map the Meal Gap an estimated 7,280 individuals were food insecure in Henderson County. Only 13% of adults in Henderson County consumed five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The SNAP Assistant (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) of the Henderson County Extension Service partnered  with Christian Outreach Food Pantry, WARM(Women’s Addiction Recovery Manor), Father Br

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College Age Students learn Life Lessons

Author: Cathy Fellows

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Many young adults in Kentucky practice poor nutrition skills. They tend to choose quick fix processed foods, microwave meals and fast food as their main sources of meals. The Nutrition Education Program Making Healthy Choices- College Age Series at Boone County’s Enrichment Centers Cooking Lab, taught participants how they can prepare simple, low cost, healthy meals.Participants commented on how “easy it was to prepare”, and how much “fun they had enjoying learning how to

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Stretching dollars to break the poverty cycle

Author: Cathy Fellows

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

 When there isn’t enough food to go around, low income families in Kentucky can struggle to make healthy choices. The Nutrition Education Programs adult series: Eating Better on A Budget was partnered with Boone County Public Library Summer Meals feeding program.The goal of the series was to teach participants how to stretch their dollars, and create healthy inexpensive meals to feed their families. One participant said “I’m so glad you’re here, I care for my Mo

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Lynn Camp Teen Cuisine

Author: Kellie Miller

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control 15.6% of of adolescents were overweight (> 85th and < 95th percentiles for BMI by age and sex, based on reference data) and 17.6% were obese (< 95th percentile BMI by age and sex, based on reference data). A Community Partner who works for HealthCorps, Inc reached out and asked if we could partner and provide nutrition education at Lynn Camp High School. In order to combat the above statistics we partnered with a teacher and allowed us in to

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Knox Central Teen Cuisine

Author: Kellie Miller

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control 15.6% of of adolescents were overweight (> 85th and < 95th percentiles for BMI by age and sex, based on reference data) and 17.6% were obese (< 95th percentile BMI by age and sex, based on reference data). A Community Partner who works for HealthCorps, Inc reached out and asked if we could partner and provide nutrition education at Knox Central High School. In order to combat the above statistics we put together an after school Cooking Club a

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KCEOC Community Action Partnership Home Parent Group

Author: Kellie Miller

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to KCEOC Community Action Partnership website the poverty rate for Eastern Kentucky is 1.5 times the national rate and 17 counties in the Eastern Kentucky area are among the top 100 poorest counties in the U.S. Shearita Bargo invited me to work with a group of families, specifically, Stay At Home Parents along with their children ages 0 – 4 years old and teach her participants how to provide more nutritious meals for themselves, their children, and their families. In order to mee

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Friends & Companions

Author: Kellie Miller

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Friends & Companions is an adult Day Health Care provider who provide care for frail, physically or mentally challenged family members who are no longer able to maintain independence. Part of their services include establishing goals for each participant to help maintain or improve their current level of function. In order to maintain this goal Kay invited me to teach nutrition to her participants. To help Kay meet this goal I taught her participants Healthy Choices For Everybody. Upon

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Nutritional Summer Camp

Author: Michele Moore

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to Kentucky Youth Advocates Kentucky Kids Count Data Book, 25.8% of Butler County children live in households which are considered food insecure. Additionally, 16% are living in deep poverty, 31.3% in poverty, and an alarming 72% of Butler County children live in low income families. These statistics, along with The Centers for Disease 2018 State Initiative Report on Fruits and Vegetables, indicate individuals at or below poverty levels in America are not meeting their dietar

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Are You Ready For Change?

Author: Laykin Smith

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The drug epidemic is strong here in Eastern Kentucky. Many of our people are battling addiction of some type. Through cooperation with Montgomery County Drug Court, SNAP-Education is providing nutrition classes to those ready for a lifestyle change. Making healthy choices when deciding what to eat or prepare for your family is another tool they can use in the battle against addiction. Participants came to class eager to learn new recipes that will nourish their bodies. Many participants tri

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Housing Authority

Author: Nan Montgomery

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

 Nineteen percent of residents in Warren County are living in poverty. Kentucky is ranked 12th in the nation for hunger, according to a new study released by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), a national anti-hunger advocacy group. In an effort to fight food insecurity in Warren County, the SNAP Education Assistant teamed up with the Bowling Green Housing Authority. A series of nutritional lesson were taught to Housing Authority residents. The topics focused on meal planning

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Warren County Statement

Author: Nan Montgomery

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Center for Disease Control, Kentucky has the 5th highest rate of obesity in the nation. In an effort to improve the quality of life for residents in Warren County the SNAP Education Assistant held many workshops on the following topics Meal Planning, How to Read Food Labels, Understanding  MyPlate, Food Safety and Limiting Solids Fats, Added Sugars and Sodium. The workshops were taught to improve the overall health of people in Warren County.The Warren County NEP (Nutrition

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Mens Rehab

Author: Nan Montgomery

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Substance abuse generally leads to a lack of proper nutrition, either as a result of not eating enough throughout the day or eating foods that are low in necessary nutrients. . Research clearly states a well balanced diet with proper quantities of foods cannot be overemphasized. The National Institute on drug abuse states as of February 2018, Kentucky is among the top ten states with the highest opioid related overdose deathsThe Nutrition Education Program, SNAP Education Assistan

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Knowledge is Plentiful Even Where Resources Are Scarce

Author: Amber Morris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Russell Cave Elementary School in Lexington KY sits in one of the city’s 30 identified food desserts. The school is capped at 300 students due to its infrastructures restraints and pulls mainly from the migrant farm laboring families. 79% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. With these demographics in mind the schools Family Resource Coordinator reached out to the Nutrition Education Program to collaborate on classes to educate the K-2 students on eating healthy. Utilizing th

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Learning to Eat at Lunchtime

Author: Amber Morris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

OWL (Opportunity for Work and Learning) INC. is a local business that offers job training and placement to individuals with various obstacles to self-sufficiency. In the summer of 2018 the Fayette County Nutrition Education Program and OWL INC. partnered to provide a series of classes focusing on low budget, nutrient dense dishes from the Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum during the participants lunch break. While many participants reported that they never ate vegetables they always tried

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Teen Mothers Learn Kitchen Confidence and Super Market Savvy

Author: Amber Morris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Department of Health and Human Services Kentucky has the 7th highest rate of teen pregnancy in the United States. These young families statistically earn less and have poorer health than their childless peers or families headed by adults. The Family Care Center is a school in Fayette County designed to address the educational and childcare needs of teen mothers. Due to a unique partnership incorporated into their curriculum are nutrition education classes at the Fayette County E

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Increasing Youth Diet Quality In Kentucky

Author: Amber Morris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in Kentucky almost half of all children (44.6%) report eating fruit less than one time daily, with 42.7% of adolescents reported consuming vegetables less than one time daily. Working to address the diet quality of youth in Fayette County the Nutrition Education Program assistant teamed up with Mary Todd Elementary providing lessons on healthy eating. Using the LEAP (Literacy, Eating, and Activity for Preschoolers) curriculum children were introduced

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Making The Most Of Your Resources

Author: Rebecca Parrent

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Crittenden County Extension Service partners with the agencies in Crittenden County to serve the needs of the people in Crittenden County.  Once a year everyone comes together to do a Community Christmas program. This program helps the limited resource people in our community provide for their children’s needs at Christmas. In order for the families to qualify for this program they must take three education classes given by different agencies in the county.  The Expanded Food

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Recipe For Life

Author: Crystal Beitler

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18.5% (or 13.7 million) of children and adolescents are obese. To address this problem, the Scott County Cooperative Extension Service implemented Recipe for Life, a cooking and nutrition program for fifth graders. 174 students took a day long fieldtrip to the Scott County Extension Office where they learned about food safety, kitchen safety, knife skills, measurement conversion, reading recipes, and other aspects of food preparat

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Nutrition in Recovery

Author: Crystal Beitler

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In May, 2018, the Scott County Cooperative Extension’s SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Education Program Assistant formed a partnership with Recovery Works, an inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, to offer nutrition education and healthy cooking demonstrations to patients. According to Drugs and Alcohol Today, Volume 9, Issue 2, “…a well-nourished brain means fewer withdrawal symptoms during the early stages of detoxification and higher possi

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Health and Wellness

Author: Crystal Beitler

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to Kentucky Health Facts, 21% of Scott County residents consider themselves in less than good health. In an effort to alleviate this, the Scott County Cooperative Extension Service and the Nutrition Education Program conducted a Healthy Choices program at the Georgetown Housing Authority. Five homemakers completed this series of seven weekly lessons focusing on MyPlate, food safety, reading nutrition facts labels, meal planning, and budgeting. According to the national reporting system

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Vegetable Consumption

Author: Crystal Beitler

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Center for Disease Control, only about 7% of Kentuckians eat the recommend daily servings of vegetables. In response to this statistic, the Scott County Cooperative Extension Service and the Nutrition Education Program partnered with the Gathering Place Women’s Shelter to offer the Healthy Choices program to residents. Five women completed this series of seven weekly lessons focusing on MyPlate, food safety, reading nutrition labels, meal planning, and budgeting. Each clas

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Community Garden at Public Housing

Author: Amy Stooksbury

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Community Garden at Public HousingTodd County Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistant, Todd County Extension Agent for Agriculture, and the Family and Consumer Sciences Summer Intern partnered together to plant a community garden at Todd County Public Housing “Pennyrile Village”.  The extension staff worked with the residence to place large pots around different locations in common areas for the community to share in growing fresh vegetables.Member of the NEP Assistants &ldq

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SNAP Education-Making a Difference

Author: Amy Stooksbury

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the most recent data about Todd County from KentuckyHealthFacts.org, 38% of adults in Todd County do not engage in regular physical activity, 32% are obese, 70% are overweight and only 17% eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.During 2017/2018 program year Todd County Nutrition Education Assistant enrolled participants, offered nutritious samples at food commodity programs, helped distribute healthy food for children on weekends, worked in community gardens at local pu

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Forever Fit- Good Habits for a Lifetime

Author: Rhonda Reynolds

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Forever Fit- Good Habits for a LifetimeElliott County has a forty percent obesity rate according to the Centers for Disease Control. As a final project for a Centers for Disease Control/ University of Kentucky grant to fight obesity,the Elliott County Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Science agent and the Expanded Foods and Nutrition Education Program assistant senior collaborated with five volunteers to brainstorm about a program that would combine physical activity and healthy eating

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SNAP-Ed Partnership with Drug Court

Author: Lora Gullett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

With the growing drug epidemic, the Kentucky Drug Court was created to assist individuals who have entered the criminal justice system as a result of drug use or drug-related criminal activity, and are choosing to achieve and maintain recovery. This program also helps with the overcrowding of jails and the prison system.  According to the handbook for Kentucky Court Participant, “the program uses a team approach that requires collaboration among judges, Specialty Court staff, pro

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Helping the Hungry

Author: Kacy Wiley

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In Bourbon County, the Bourbon County School System started a program called the “Munch Mobile.” This is a school bus that has been designed to travel around to different parts of the county during the summer to provide healthy meals to students who do not have the ability to travel into one of the schools to benefit from the summer feeding program. In an effort to provide the caregivers of these students more tools to provide healthy foods for their families a partnership

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Let's Make Kentucky Healthy

Author: Kacy Wiley

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In 2017 Kentucky’s adult obesity rate was 34.3%, making it the 8th highest in the United States. In an effort to make Kentuckian’s healthier a partnership was created between The Bourbon County Cooperative Extension Service, The Bourbon County Health Department, and Community Action. Individuals in the community were invited to attend nutrition education classes that focused on using My Plate as an eating guide, Meal Planning to include more nutritious foods, Eating Better on a Budge

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Creating Healthy Habits

Author: Kacy Wiley

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Healthy habits can start at a young age. Kids have so many choices and influences on what they choose to eat. However, in Kentucky many are choosing to eat foods that are not very nutritious. Many Kentuckians suffer from chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. In an effort to get children to make healthier choices a partnership was formed between the Bourbon County Cooperative Extension Service and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. During one week in the s

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Muhlenberg County by the Numbers 2018

Author: Viola Wood

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Muhlenberg by the NumbersThe Muhlenberg County Cooperative Extension Service provides practical education by helping individuals, families, and communities solve problems, develop skills, and build a better future. Muhlenberg County, KY is a county in the Western Kentucky Coalfield. The population of the county is 30,816. The adult poverty rate is 19.6%, and the child poverty rate is 35%.  The Muhlenberg County SNAP-Ed paraprofessional taught sixty four limited resource families how to

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Plant, Grow, Preserve

Author: Stephanie Caldwell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

CenterPoint is a 6-month intensive recovery substance abuse treatment program for men. It’s a peer-driven community that strengthens life skills before transitioning back into society. The McCracken County Extension Service Snap-Ed assistant partnered with CenterPoint to plant, grow and preserve fresh produce to help lower food cost for the 120 men facility.•April of 2018 the Snap-Ed assistant met with representatives from both CenterPoint and James Sanders Nursery to talk about where

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Getting into The Zone

Author: Stephanie Caldwell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, dietary behavior and inadequate physical activity are two of the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults.  The McCracken County Cooperative Extension Service along with Four Rivers Behavioral Health participated in a cooking series over a four-month period.       The Zone is a teen and young adult drop in center.  The program that was offered was an eight-week series called Teen Cuisine.

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Math in the Kitchen: Does Kentucky Measure up?

Author: Stephanie Caldwell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Upon graduation, Kentucky high school students should understand basic communication and math skills, as well as be able to apply core concepts.  One of the requirements for fifth grade Students is to be able to apply their understanding of fractions. What better way to learn and understand communication, math, and apply them to basic cooking skills.       The McCracken County Cooperative Extension Service along with nine gifted and talented students from Clark Elementar

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McCracken County SNAP-ED

Author: Stephanie Caldwell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The McCracken County SNAP-Ed paraprofessional taught 71 limited resource families how to utilize local food resources effectively, serve more nutritious meals and keep foods more safe. Of the families who graduated from NEP programs 50.3% made improvements in their food resource management by planning meals, cooking more dinners at home, making a list before shopping, and comparing food prices. More than 50.5% of families demonstrated an improvement in safe food handling practices, utilizing foo

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Enhance the quality of life with fruits & veggies

Author: Karen Kummer

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Karen Kummer/SNAP-EdSeptember 27, 2018Success StoryTitle: Enhance the quality of life with fruits & veggiesMajor Program: 2066 – Accessing Nutritious Foods (General)Outcome Type: IntermediateAn adult group at a rehabilitation facility participated in a seven week program using the Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum. The lessons were presented by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education Assistant through the Jefferson County Cooperative Extensio

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Kick the Habit

Author: Margie Hernandez

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to data from Kentucky Health Facts (2014-2016), 36% of adults in Russell County smoke cigarettes. Smoking contributes to many chronic health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory issues. In order to address this, a ten-week Healthy Choices for Every Body program was conducted by the Russell County Cooperative Extension Service SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) assistant for SNAP eligible individuals in collaboration with the Russell County

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Healthy Kindergarten Kids

Author: Margie Hernandez

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In Russell County, 6.5% of adults consumed five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day between 2013-2015. (Building Strong Families in Russell County 2018). Reading books that focus on eating healthy foods and being physically active may motivate children to adopt positive behaviors that last a lifetime. The Russell County Cooperative Extension Service Nutrition Education Program collaborated with Russell Springs Elementary kindergarten to offer the Literacy, Eating, and Activity for

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Where Resources are Scarce Hope is Plentiful

Author: Jacqui Denegri

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The William Wells Brown Community center sits in the middle of one of the many nationally recognized food deserts in Lexington Ky. Located in the East End, a neighborhood where the average household income is less than half of the city average ($31,000 as compared to $65,000), access to nutritious foods can be scarce. Always looking for ways to bring resources and self-sufficiency to the residents in this neighborhood, the director and community coordinator for the center reached out to the Nutr

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Tasty Tuesdays Keep Teens Active

Author: Jacqui Denegri

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion only 21 percent of American youth meet the current Physical Activity Guidelines of 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. This is no shock given that the average child spends 6 or more hours per day using electronic devices. Studies have shown this can lead to an inability to focus, insomnia and a drop in school performance. To address this issue the Fayette County Extension Office partnered with Beaumont Middle School

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Clean Hands Saves Lives

Author: Christy Blevins

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Centerfor Disease Control and Prevention estimates that since 2010, flu relatedhospitalizations among children younger than 5 years of age range from 7,000 to26,000 in the United States with some resulting in death. UKCooperative Extension Service SNAP-Ed Assistant partnered with Bell CountyFamily Resource Directors to educate primary students on the importance ofwashing their hands with hot soapy water. Reading a book called Germs, Germs,Germs from the LEAP curriculum, the students lea

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Teen Cuisine at Drakes Creek Middle School

Author: Kristi Shive

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Kentucky is one of the leading States for childhood obesityin the United States. Drakes Creek Middle School is located in Warren County,Kentucky. One of the 8th grade teachers reached out to Warren CountySNAP-Ed Assistants and asked for Nutrition Education Programs to be brought tothe classroom. Students were struggling with consuming fruits and vegetables. One of the Warren County SNAP-Ed Assistants presented aseries to an 8th grade class which featured the Teen Cuisinecurriculum. The seri

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New Behaviors, New Beverages

Author: Jacqui Denegri

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Women’s Hope Center in Lexington Kentucky is a residential treatment center for women recovering from addiction. Many participants are learning to make healthy choices for themselves for the first time. While meals are planned and provided by the facility, the women have a say in what and how much they consume. To provide guidance in their journey the Nutrition Education Program has created an ongoing partnership with the center. Through utilization of the Healthy Choices for Every Bod

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Summer Program at Parks and Recreation

Author: Kristi Shive

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The youth summer program of Bowling Green Parks and Recreation offers activities and fun to youth during the summer break. Many of the youth enrolled struggled with eating fruits and vegetables as well as drinking milk. A cooking and nutrition series was conducted by one of the Warren County SNAP-Ed Assistants. The Teen Cuisine curriculum was presented and the series included nutrition, food safety, food preparation, and physical activity components.Participants showed improvements in several ar

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Cooking Class Builds Confidence While Teaching Valuable Life Skills to Middle Schoolers

Author: Jacqui Denegri

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Throughout the spring of 2018 the Nutrition Education Program partnered with Fayette County Public Schools to integrate cooking lessons for 6th to 8th grade students into their life skills class. The instructor had expressed that most of the families reported using boxed convenience foods. In addition to being less nutritious these prepackaged meals had left the children with little exposure to fresh produce. Using the Teen Cuisine nutrition curriculum the students were taught food safety, kitch

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Positive Impact on Program Living for Men

Author: Kristi Shive

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Hope House’s Program Living for Men is a 12-Month recovery and restoration program. The program includes a phased approach focusing on spiritual, physical, emotional and educational development. Two of the SNAP-Ed Assistants from Warren County started a program with the men living at the facility. Many of the men struggled with poor nutrition and gaining weight after moving into the program living house. The Warren County SNAP-Ed Assistants taught a 6-week series that focused on creat

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Farmers’ market nutrition education classes 2018 has powerful impact

Author: Dianne Hayward

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In 2017 the Cumberland County Extension service hosted a series on Cooking with the Farmers Market at the extension office where we had people sign up and learn about cooking with locally grown produce, we surveyed the participants and discovered there was a real problem with people in our community not eating enough fruit and vegetables in their diet. According to the Government Health Survey, Cumberland County has a high number of residents with Diabetes ,there is also a high rate of obesity.S

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Making Small Changes

Author: Margie Hernandez

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control’s County Diabetes Atlas, 34.6% of adults 18 years and over in Russell County were obese between 2012 and 2014. High obesity rates have been linked to many health related problems including stroke and heart disease. In order to address this, a Healthy Choices for Every Body program was conducted by the Russell County Cooperative Extension Service SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education) assistant for SNAP eligible i

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Healthy Choices for Everybody

Author: Joni Phelps

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Caldwell County EFNEP paraprofessional taught 38 limited resource families how to serve more nutritious meals, to keep foods safe, and to utilize local food resources effectively. 97.4% of EFNEP families made a positive change in any food group at exit. 64% of EFNEP graduate families reported eating more vegetables more often each day, eating more fruit more often each day, eating red and orange vegetables each day, eating more dark green vegetables, drinking regular soda less often, dr

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Caldwell County School Nutrition Classes

Author: Joni Phelps

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Many limited resource youth have poor health skills and limited knowledge of the relationship between health practices and health status. According to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, the Caldwell County Kentucky School system is 52.98% free and reduced lunch. The EFNEP paraprofessional taught basic nutrition skills to 591 school-age youth.  The Professor Popcorn curriculum was used to teach six lessons. 89% of the youth reported an improvement in their ability to cho

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Positive Change at Any Age

Author: Breanna Williams

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Through a partnership with the new Highland Village apartments in Highland Heights and the Campbell County Cooperative Extension Service Nutrition Education Program, ten seniors attended a 7 session series of the Healthy Choices for Every Body program. When asked by the Nutrition program assistant why participants signed up for the program, many participants expressed the newfound or ongoing difficulty of planning and cooking for one or two and instead resorted to convenience meals or eating out

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Kitchen Skills to Use for a Lifetime

Author: Breanna Williams

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Twenty-two Campbell County Middle School after-school program students, with the help of Nutrition Education Program Assistant of the Campbell County Cooperative Extension, learned new cooking skills and improved their healthy choices after completing the Teen Cuisine program. Some of the students have already spent some time in their kitchens at home, helping parents or caregivers with some of the basic steps in the cooking process. However, a number of the students have yet had the opportunity

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Campbell County Residents Learn to Cook Safely

Author: Breanna Williams

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

A newfound partnership between the Calvin A. Perry Community Center and a Campbell County Cooperative Extension program assistant resulted in a free nutrition education program available to the public. The willingness of six Campbell County residents to make a healthy change was evident on day one, but many expressed not having the knowledge or tools on where to begin to make that change. According to the USDA, there are an estimated 48 million food-borne illnesses and 3,000 related deaths each

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Nutrition with Disabled Teens

Author: Whitney Paige Alexander

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Logan County is one of six counties in Kentucky with an obesity rate which exceeds 40%. The percentage of adolescents considered overweight is 15.4 % and 18 % of adolescents are considered obese. To address this issue the Logan County High School moderate severe disabilities unit teachers partnered with the Logan County Cooperative Extension Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-ED) Assistant, to provide nutrition education to students with varying abilities. The Logan C

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Leap at Guiding Light

Author: Whitney Paige Alexander

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Logan County is one of six counties in Kentucky with obesity rates over 40 % .The percentage of children being overweight is 16.3% and 15.6% obese. The poverty level for Logan County is 19.7% with a food insecurity rate at 15.2%. Guiding Light Early Childhood Center and Day Care contacted the Logan County Extension Office to have Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-ED) Assistant, teach nutrition to their children during the summer. Children at Guiding Light are from li

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Recipe Review

Author: Joni Phelps

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The EFNEP Senior Assistant, in collaboration with the Family & Consumer Sciences Agent, presented a monthly Recipe Review series to fourteen participants. The EFNEP Senior Assistant presented the following lesson topics: MyPlate, Know the Limits, Planning Meals, Reading Food Labels, Eating Better on a Budget, and Keeping Food Safe. These classes included a cooking demonstration of a healthy recipe from the Nutrition Education Program calendar and participant tasting. Thirteen participan

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Why Should I Eat Vegetables?

Author: Angela Baldauff

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture offer dietary guidelines for healthy eating. They suggest that half of each plate be made up of fruits and vegetables. According to a study in 2016, only about one fourth of adults in Northern Kentucky were eating the proper amount of fruits and vegetables. If adults are not eating properly, it is safe to assume that their children are not either. A first grade teacher from White’s Tower Elementary

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This Class is in My Head

Author: Angela Baldauff

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The property manager of Wynnbrook Pines Apartments contacted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistant from the Kenton County Cooperative Extension Service to offer a basic nutrition/cooking class for her residents. The SNAP-Ed Assistant taught the Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum as a seven session series. The class was made up of multi-generational families who were raising children. The Assistant taught the participants the im

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Taylored with Time

Author: Angela Baldauff

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the US Census Bureau, 13% of residents in Kenton County, Kentucky, are aged 65 and older. Many of them are women who live alone. The Assistant City Clerk/Special Events Coordinator of Taylor Mill, Kentucky, contacted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistant from the Kenton County Cooperative Extension Service to offer a basic nutrition class to the Taylored with Time Senior Group. The NEP Assistant taught a seven sessio

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Being a Good Role Model

Author: Angela Baldauff

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the 2018 County Health Rankings study produced by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 38% of children in Kenton County, Kentucky, live in single-parent homes. In order to provide a needed service to students, a Community Resource Success Coach for Gateway Community and Technical College contacted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistant from the Kenton County Cooperative Extension Service to offer a basi

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Training for Health/Training for Life

Author: Melissa Pilcher

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Center for Employment Training is a program for individuals who are either previously employed or are under-employed and are seeking an education to improve their circumstances. More than half of the participants are over the age of thirty and one third of them are over forty. They spend a large amount of their time either working or in class, so personal nutrition and health often take a back seat. But twenty students chose to give up their lunch period once a week for five weeks to learn h

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Swapping Fast Food for Fast AND Healthy Food

Author: Melissa Pilcher

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Campbell County Nutrition Education Program paraprofessional partnered with the Brighton Center to work with families who utilize their on-site food pantry. The focus was to use the Healthy Choices for Every Body program to find healthy recipes to use the food provided by the panty. Diet quality was definitely an issue with this group with five out of seven people reporting eating fast food on the first day of the program in spite of having concerns with various health issues including high

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Partnership for a Better You

Author: Melissa Pilcher

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Brighton Center is a non-profit organization on a mission to create opportunities for individuals and families to reach self-sufficiency through family support services, education, employment, and leadership. Through a partnership with the Campbell County Extension Nutrition Education Program, over seventy five adults attended thirty plus classes last year. The classes held within seven different Brighton Center programs, reached seniors, single parents, preschool parents, food pantry and commod

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Work-site Wellness Promotes Change

Author: Melissa Pilcher

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Recently the on-site nurse for the Newport Aquarium reached out to the Campbell County Extension Nutrition Education Program to obtain healthy nutrition information for the two hundred plus employees. Over the course of the four month program, twenty six people gave up multiple lunch periods to attend the Healthy Choices for Every Body series. Other great initiatives started as a result of the program such as a walking club that met weekly to encourage more physical activity to go with the impro

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Comparing Products for Better Health

Author: Jacqueline Corum

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

This summer, the Fayette County Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Program partnered with Briarwood Apartments, a federally subsidized apartment community for individuals with disabilities and seniors, to deliver the Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum to improve the diet and food security of their residents. Before beginning the program, 75% of participants got more than 21% of their daily calories from solid fats and added sugars, both of which increase one’s risk of develop

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Clean Hands for a Bright Future

Author: Jacqueline Corum

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Fayette County Cooperative Extension partnered with Squires Elementary, a school with over 60% of their students coming from low-income households, with the goal of improving their students’ handwashing practices, ability to identify food by its corresponding food group, and physical activity. The Literacy, Eating, and Activity for Primary curriculum was facilitated to 1st and 2nd graders in Squires’ after-school program. After completing the program, 84% of students demonstrated an

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Community Gardens

Author: Michele Moore

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the United States Census Bureau, based on American Community survey 5 year estimates, Butler County, KY has an estimated 24.6% of individuals below poverty level. Interestingly, the county seat of Morgantown, KY has an average 50.5% of individuals below poverty level. The counties economic status and no farmer’s markets strain individuals on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program the availability and access to fresh produce. In an effort to combat hunger, and to enable indi

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Food Labels and Safety

Author: Juanita Herron

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Marion County Extension office Expanded Food and Nutrition program assistant recently partnered with one of our local Elementary Schools. I was asked to come and teach the third grade class. I taught nutrition, the importance of reading nutritional labels and keeping food safe. I started my lesson by teaching about the food groups. I taught about the key nutrients that are in each of the food groups and why we need each one to be healthy. When I taught about the Nutrition Facts on the label

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Cooking Skills

Author: Juanita Herron

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Every summer, the Marion County Cooperative Extension office partners with one of our local day cares. The class consisted of about 10-12 children each time we met. I worked with the children twice a month so we had about six teaching lessons with them. One particular young lady in this group was very shy and didn’t talk a lot. I never knew she was grasping all that I was teaching in the cooking class. Each time we met in cooking class we always went over food safety, keeping our hand

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Life Style Changes

Author: Juanita Herron

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Marion County Cooperative Extension Office partnered with one of our local public housing authorities. I started a series of classes with our Healthy Choices for Every body curriculum. The program was offered once a month for families.At the beginning of each class, we would talked about what we learned from the previous month before. Sometimes the discussion would get a little lengthy, but then you realize that they were listening and practicing what they had learned. I would then start the les

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Cooking 101

Author: Juanita Herron

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Marion County Cooperative Extension office Expanded Food and Nutrition Program partnered with one of our local Elementary Schools for a Nutrition and Cooking demo class for students and their parents. I suggested that I come in and teach Healthy Choices for Everybody. This was a seven week class. I taught all of the seven required lessons. With each lesson we made one of the recipes that coincided with our lesson. We had a small group but each family was always excited to be at the class. I

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With Liberty for All

Author: Marian Stacy

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Drug abuse in Madison County is slowly becoming an epidemic. The need for prevention and education is in higher demand than ever before. Madison County has been home to Liberty Place Women’s Recovery Center for many years. Graduating hundreds of women every year with an 80% no-return rate. Ladies are taken into the program from a waiting list and live at the facility for 6-9 months before going to “half way housing” that provides unsupervised living with daily support and conti

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Raising Parents

Author: Marian Stacy

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Parenting is difficult at any age. Parenting as a young adult comes with even more challenges. The Madison County Cooperative Extension Service offers a free parenting class for folks of all ages and stages of life. In this ten week class, parents learn strategies to combat the challenges of parenting the youth of today. An area of concern for younger parents was child and family nutrition. The Parenting Educator realized right away this needed to be addressed. She asked the Snap-Ed (Supplementa

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Clark-Moores Stars

Author: Marian Stacy

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Childhood Obesity has been a state wide issue for many years. The Madison County School System has tried to prevent this through various health & wellness programs offered in each school. One of the middle schools adopted a life skills class that was offered to 7th graders for nine weeks to teach basic nutrition, measuring, food safety and proper hand washing.The Snap-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education) Assistant was asked to teach MyPlate for Teens, Grains, Dairy, Fruit

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Clark-Moores Cooking School

Author: Marian Stacy

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Madison County Board of Education does a great job of being proactive toward childhood issues, especially obesity. Schools can choose programs tailored for student involvement. Each year several of the middle school offer after school cooking clubs, open to all students but targeting ones that don’t have the opportunity to take life skills or family and consumer sciences type classes. These are nine week classes that include a variety of cooking skills ending with a student prepared &

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Healthy Choices

Author: Relissa Torian

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Health conditions of type two diabetes, high cholesterol, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and overweight lead this group of adults to choose; “Healthy Choices for Every Body” curriculum. Completion of seven lessons that focused on behavior changes and healthier lifestyles on a limited budget found 75% of this group making healthier choices.The group reported they having success in weight loss, sodium consumption reduction, higher Beta Carotene levels, not skipping the b

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Community Care

Author: Stacy Trent

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse andAlcoholism more than 10 percent of U.S. children live with a parent withalcohol problems, according to a 2012 study. Children are being removed fromthese homes in Wolfe County, to help address this issue the Wolfe CountyCooperative Extension Service, SNAP-Ed Assistant partnered with Kentucky RiverCommunity Care and a program called Solutions. Solutions is a Substance AbuseTreatment for Women that provides trauma informed care. These women a

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First Friday Family Cooking

Author: Stacy Trent

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to CNN, Americans spend more than 40% of their food budget on meals outside the home. More and more families are spending less and less time together. Eating as a family has declined and so has cooking together as a family. The Wolfe County Cooperative Extension Service, SNAP-Ed Assistant addressed this issue by providing the families of Wolfe County a new program called, “First Friday Family Cooking.” The program uses the Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum. On the f

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Old School Apartments

Author: Stacy Trent

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to U.S. Census Bureau, more than 12% of low-income seniors live alone in Wolfe County and the poverty rate for seniors is 18%. These older adults are struggling with housing and health care bills, inadequate nutrition, and not having transportation. According to the USSA Economic Research Service in 2015, 2.9 million households with a senior aged 65 or older experienced food insecurity. To help address this issue the Wolfe County Cooperative Extension Service, SNAP-Ed assistant partner

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TR Center

Author: Stacy Trent

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the US Census Bureau 25.6% of Wolfe County residents under the age of 65 have some kind of disability. These disabilities canlimit the residents from doing tasks that any other individual would not have aproblem with. To address this issue the Wolfe County Cooperative ExtensionService, SNAP-Ed Assistant partnered with the TR Center, which is a center thathelps these individuals learn life skills and to become more self-sufficient bygaining cooking and other skills. The Wolfe County

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Food Pantry Adult Group Promoting Family Meals

Author: Patricia Holbert

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Shepherd’s Pie Food Pantry located in LaRue County provides food weekly to an average of 127 families with food insecurities. LaRue County Expanded Food and Nutrition Education (EFNEP) Program Assistant teaches bi weekly classes to enhance the participants nutrition knowledge, food safety and cooking skills.By demonstrating basic cooking skills and distributing recipes using fresh produce supplied by Shepherd’s Pie participants are increasing their intake of fresh fruits and vegetabl

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Food Pantry Adult Group Promoting Fresh Vegetables

Author: Patricia Holbert

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Shepherd’s Pie Food Pantry located in LaRue County provides food weekly to an average of 127 families each week with food insecurities. LaRue County Expanded Food and Nutrition Education (EFNEP) Program Assistant teaches bi weekly classes to enhance the participants nutrition knowledge, food safety and cooking skills.By demonstrating recipes using fresh produce supplied by Shepherd’s Pie participants are increasing their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and seeing the number of

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Promoting Healthy Snacks to Youth

Author: Patricia Holbert

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Cool School is a week long summer school program coordinated by the Family Resource Centers. In 2018 it had 118 children participating from grades 1 thru 5. Each grade attends a one hour session each day for five consecutive days. The LaRue County Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Assistant demonstrated how to prepare healthy snacks that the children can prepare themselves using a variety of fruits and vegetables.118 youth learned about MyPlate and portion size to help them d

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Youth Facility Garden Project

Author: Patricia Holbert

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Life Connection is a residential facility located in LaRue County that is home to 40 boys, ages 10 -18, who are wards of the state. In the spring of 2018 the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Assistant along with the County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent assisted the boys with a garden project. After planting, they met twice a month with the youth during the growing season. 80% of the boys had never planted a garden before. Gardening skills that were taught to the yo

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Ready, Set, Go

Author: Tasha Tucker

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Ready, Set, GOLet’s face it!!! We live in a fast pace, non-stop, on the go society. Family time and meal time have suffered a great deal because of that mentality!! Irvington, Ben Johnson, and Custer Elementary Schools along with Breckinridge Cooperative Extension Service desired to change that behavior to better our family’s lifestyles!! The Nutrition Education Assistant, Family Consumer Science Agent, and 4-H Agent created an afterschool program teaching students and parent’s

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The Cooking Lady

Author: Tasha Tucker

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Cooking Lady                “HEY THERE’S THE COOKING LADY”!!!! “DID YOU BRING US FOOD TO EAT”!!! That’s how you know the Nutrition Education Program through the local Cooperative Extension Office is making a difference; when a group of 3rd grade classes asked if healthy food and snacks were brought for sampling. And if that wasn’t enough letters were wrote describing how enjoyable the WIN curriculum was (W

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Soaring Beyond Expectations

Author: Detra Coley

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The 21st Century grants in Livingston provide the means for all at risk children to receive extra instruction at the beginning and end of the school day.  Children may choose to arrive at the schools early or stay later to receive help with their school work.  The afternoon programs also provide enrichment activities after the school work is complete.  The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education assistant in Livingston County hold classes at each school during the enrichment hour. D

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EFNEP Stretches Food Pantry Dollars

Author: Detra Coley

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Livingston County Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program Assistant has been welcomed into the county food pantry as a local asset.  The Expanded Nutrition and Education Program Assistant provides educational material, which in turn helps the clientele in making healthier food choices. All of the EFNEP Assistants clientele are also clients of the food pantry.   In the past year, over half of the EFNEP clients have shown an improvement in Food Resource Management.  This h

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LEAP

Author: Rohdene Rollins

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

LEAP/ Teen Cuisine in Henderson CountyRohdene Rollins-SNAP-Ed AssistantThe SNAP-Ed Assistant (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) conducts the LEAP Program (literacy, eating, and physical activity program) in partnership with Henderson Co. schools, Title I program, and after-school programs. The SNAP-Ed Assistant meets with the different groups for six visits to read a story or do an activity with them. When doing the activity “Healthy Helpings MyPlate activity mat”, the stude

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Comp Care Youth

Author: Cheryl Owens

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

With youth and families in mind, many don’t choose healthieralternatives when it comes to food.  Thisis due to limited resources unhealthy eating habits, and lack of propernutritional education.  Through thecollaborative efforts between the Cooperative Extension Service EFNEP (ExpandedFood Nutrition Education Program) assistant, and the Comprehensive Care YouthProgram Counselor, the summer youth program addressed these issues with theLEAP and Teen Cuisine Curriculum.&nb

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Rehab Facility

Author: Cheryl Owens

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Cooperative Extension Service through the EFNEP,(Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program) assistant works with a local rehabmade up pregnant women and new mom’s coming off drugs.  They are going from a reckless lifestyle to amore healthy responsible way of living for themselves and their families.  According to one of the quotes from the Marchof Dimes, “each year in the United States, more than 120,000 babies are bornwith a birth defect.” They also hav

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Making Connections

Author: Tonya Gilbert

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Poverty affects a large percent of the population in Leslie County. Information gathered by the US Census Bureau in their most recent survey reported that $14,653 was the average income of individuals across the county. Recently, the SNAP-Ed Program, a part of the Kentucky Nutrition Education Program, was introduced to this area by the Leslie County Cooperative Extension Service. In an effort to provide information to its residents, this office has partnered with the Leslie County School Distric

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Overcoming Obesity

Author: Tonya Gilbert

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Obesity is a prevalent problem in Leslie County. Lack of physical activity and poor diet appear to be the key factors. According to a recent study conducted by the UK Markey Cancer Control Program and the College of Public Health, 71% of the population was reported being overweight. The study confirmed that 37% of individuals were not participating in physical activity, while only 6% were consuming five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Earlier this year, the SNAP-Ed Program was i

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Healthy Choices

Author: Nancy Owens

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Allen County Nancy Owens, SNAP-Ed AssistantThe Allen County NEP paraprofessional taught 64 limited resourcefamilies how to serve more nutritious meals, to keep foods safe, and to utilize local food resources effectively. 98% of NEP families made an improvement in the nutritional quality of their diet. 72%  of NEP graduate families consumed a diet of higher quality because they planned meals using My Plate, considered healthy choices, and used the "Nutrition Fac

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Healthy Choices

Author: Myrna Vazquez

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Nutrition Education Program Assistant delivered the Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum to the community of Calloway County in Kentucky during the 2017-2018 year. The local senior center made the program available to their members on a weekly basis and the local Parenting workgroup incorporated the nutrition program to the series of parenting lessons. A total of 65 participants enrolled between both programs and 57 completed the seven lessons. The lessons topics range from learning abo

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LEAP

Author: Myrna Vazquez

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Calloway County Nutrition Education Program Assistant collaborated with the Calloway County School District Elementary teachers and delivered the Literacy, Eating and Activities for Primary program youth curriculum. The program reached a total of 234 students. At North Elementary 81 First graders, 91 Second graders and 21 Third graders took part of the program.At East Elementary 41 Second graders participated of the program as well. The program consisted of six lessons which involved a story

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Mean Greens and Roasted Root Vegetables

Author: Nancy Owens

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Allen CountyNancy Owens, SNAP-Ed AssistantMean Greens and Roasted Root VegetablesTo increase the knowledge of deep orange, red and green rooted vegetables value and benefits for meal planning. Develop time saving preparation skills to increase the consumption of green and rooted vegetables. Encourage the purchase of dark green, deep orange and red vegetables for future family meals. Healthy Choices for Everybody program was conducted by the Allen County Extension Service in collaboration with Al

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Cooking with the Core

Author: Nancy Owens

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Allen CountyNancy Owens, SNAP-Ed AssistantCooking with the CoreTo eat vegetables that they normally wouldn’t eat. To increase water intake of each participant. To increase physical exercise. Increase participant’s knowledge of food safety. In Allen County the youth do not get the recommended physical activity. According to the State of Kentucky Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity profile 28.8% youth watch 3 hours of television on an average school day. According to the cent

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It's Never too Late for Change

Author: Morgan King

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The most recent CDC Data report states that the obesity rate for Greenup County is 35% of the population. Greenup County is in the top 10 counties for other health diseases, such as heart disease and 16% of Greenup County adults suffer from diabetes. Research has shown there is a natural link between nutrition, physical activity, and behaviors toward healthy lifestyles. The Greenup Co. Extension Snap- Ed assistant collaborated with the Greenup Co. Senior Center in a 6 month long series to promot

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Discovering Healthy Habits

Author: Morgan King

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the most recent studies of 2011 21% of Kentucky youth ages 2 -17 are considered obese. Greenup Co. has an obesity rate of 31.9%. The obesity rate of Greenup County is higher than the state average. This results in an even higher risk of developing serious chronic diseases at an earlier age in life.In collaboration with Russell Preschool and the Greenup co. Extension services: The Snap- Ed assistant held a six week series that was provided to the students at Russell Preschool where 6

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Plate It Up

Author: Lora Howard

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Due to the low health rating for Clay County families and the high percentage of our adults (33% of our adults don’t meet standard activity) 43% are considered overweight and 18% of our adults with diabetes; the Family & Consumer Science Agent presented Plate It Up sessions using Plate It Up recipes and Preserving Program using USDA recipes.  Eighty attendees came to four sessions.  These sessions were advertised on Facebook, web page, newspaper, radio and newsletter.  T

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So many options, just one right way

Author: Omar Miralles

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In 2016, 1,190 refugees were resettled in Kentucky (Kentucky Refugee Ministries 2016 Annual Report). At a local Jefferson County ministry that handles the resettlement of recently arrived refugees from around the world, staff were interested in the Healthy Choices for Every Body Program taught by the Nutrition Education Program Assistant with the Cooperative Extension Service. The staff asked for assistance with helping their clients to figure out questions related to food and nutrition in the U

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Making real lifestyles chages a reality

Author: Omar Miralles

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Seeking advice of how to improve their health condition. several women decided to join one of ourLocal church groups recommended by one the members. They were advice by their doctors to decreaseThe amount of salt and fat in their diet to reduce the risk of hypertension and they were concernedBecause their kids were consuming too much sugary drinks they started our healthy choices program In which they were taught. How to cook using less salt and substitute the salt with different types ofSe

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Every day is the right day

Author: Omar Miralles

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos found 16.9% of Hispanic adults to have Type II diabetes compared to 10.2% of non-Hispanics (American Diabetes Association, 2014). At a health fair at a Jefferson County Hispanic –Latino Church, a woman and her son approached the Nutrition Education Program booth with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. She received a very detailed explanation about the nutrition education program. She and her son were diab

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Better lifestyles changes brings more happiness to your life

Author: Omar Miralles

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

After being told by their doctors that in order to control their weight and blood pressure they needed to change the amount of food consumed, a group of women belonging to a local Jefferson County Latino Church contacted the Nutrition Education Program Assistant with the Cooperative Extension Service. They were interested in starting a nutrition education group at a nearby apartment complex where they could meet frequently and they were excited to start the Healthy Choices for Every Body Program

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Kindergarten Students Learn About My Plate

Author: Velma Mullins

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Childhood obesity is an issue in children and adults in Laurel County, Kentucky.  Many children are unaware of the difference between healthy foods and foods which offer little but empty calories.  The Laurel County Expanded Food and Nutrition Program assistant partnered with the Laurel County Public Schools and the East Bernstadt Independent Schools to teach kindergarten students about MY Plate.  The assistant came to eight classrooms six times throughout the school year.  T

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Young Adults learning to Improve their Nutrition Choices

Author: Alta Hutchison

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Wayne County Cooperative Extension was contacted by a local residential facility for juvenile females.  The facility requested help with nutrition for females aged 14-18 who would be aging out of the facility.  The females were to be prepared to go home, or to a half-way house.  All would be faced with more individualized choices as to their own health and nutrition.The extension agent for 4-H Youth Development Education and EFNEP Assistant partnered together and chose the curricu

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Better Choices for a Healthier You

Author: Patsy Smith

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Patsy Smith 2018Success Story # 2– Better Choices for a Healthier YouThe Jackson County Cooperative Extension office partnered with the Tyner Family Resource Center to offer a program called “Better Choices for a Healthier You”. This six week program was offered at the Tyner Elementary School. The targeted audience was volunteer parents and several of the Tyner School staff members. SNAP-Ed’s objectives were teaching nutritional education, cooking demonstrations and encou

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Healthy Choices made easy for parents

Author: Patsy Smith

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In collaboration with the Jackson County Kindergarten Readiness parent group, the Tyner Family Resource center and the Grace Covenant ministries the SNAP-Ed Assistant from the Jackson County Cooperative Extension office taught an eight week program on nutrition using the Healthy Choices Curriculum. The goal of the group was to teach parents the importance of good nutrition so that their children will have a head start when they begin Kindergarten. It is a fact that children that eat a

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Community Garden

Author: Bobbie Hancock

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Mercer County NEP Assistant, Extension Agent for Horticulture and Bluegrass Community Action partnered to offer a community garden for families without an area to plant fruits and vegetables.  Fifteen plots were provided for 15 families.  NEP Assistant applied for the community grant to purchase plants.  Bluegrass Community Action provided raised beds and the Horticulture Agent shared information on planting and care for the fruit and vegetables.  Several families had no gard

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Getting Ahead

Author: Bobbie Hancock

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Mercer County NEP Assistant, partnering with Mercer County Adult Ed program, assisted 11 families in a program called “Getting Ahead”.  Using the curriculum, “Healthy Choices for Everybody,” the families were given the opportunity to learn to reduce their cost of living by making healthier lifestyle choices.  Based on their pretest answers, the NEP assistant identified concerns with food safety.  Following the weekly lesson and food demonstration, the famil

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Community Tutoring Initiative

Author: Bobbie Hancock

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Nutrition Education Program Assistant partnered with the Community Tutoring group that services at risk children that are in 1st and 2nd grade. The NEP Asst met once a week for 9 weeks with this group of children to teach them ways to stay healthy by hand washing, identifying food groups, choosing healthy snacks, getting more physical activity and making better choices. Curriculum used was 1st grade “Exploring My Plate with Professor Popcorn”. Each week the children would wash th

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Kids in the Kitchen

Author: Tracey Turner

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Owsley County Extension Office offered a cooking camp targeting ages 5-12 year olds. Curriculum taught was Teen Cuisine. Children were taught variety of lessons by the SNAP-Ed assistant that was shown to be useful in the kitchen.  Most participants had limited knowledge of kitchen skills. During the six week course, lessons were taught about My Plate, proper portion sizes, recipes, measuring skills, kitchen utensils, and also food safety.At the end of each day the students prepared a re

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Apples, Oranges and Bananas, Oh My!

Author: Tracey Turner

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for disease control Kentucky ranks 48th out of 50 in fruit and vegetable consumption. During the school year children in grades 1st through 6th participated in the Nutrition Education Program "Professor Popcorn". Through the partnership between the Owsley County Board of Education and the Cooperative Extension Service.This program offers participant’s education about liMy Plate" as well as proper amounts of physical activity needed to be he

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Kids get moving

Author: Tracey Turner

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the National Institute of Health reports showed that 61.5% of children age 9-13 do not participate in any organized physical activity during non-school hours and another 22.6% do not engage in any free time physical activity. In conjunction with a partnership through the Owsley County Extension Service and the Owsley County Board of Education, the Nutrition Education Program "Professor Popcorn" is taught throughout the school year to 1st through 6th grades.The pu

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Move it to Lose it

Author: Tracey Turner

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for disease control the prevalence of obesity was 39.8 % and affected about 93.3 million US adults. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death.  The Owsley County Extension Service partnered with the Owsley County Recreational Center to provide a nutritional and physical challenge to becoming a fitter you. Over a span of six weeks, elev

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Spring Slim Down

Author: Kayla Lunsford

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Lincoln CountySNAP-Ed Assistant, Kayla GibsonSuccess Story #1 “Spring Slim Down”- 2018In the spring of 2018, at the Lincoln County Extension Office, a class was started which focused on the "Healthy Choices for Every Body" curriculum. To incentivize the program and hopefully generate new interest, a challenge was added called the "Spring Slim Down". In the class, participants would meet weekly to try a new recipe and go through the 7 core lessons of the curriculum

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Healthy Improvements at Logan's Trace Apartments

Author: Kayla Lunsford

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Lincoln CountySNAP-Ed Assistant, Kayla GibsonSuccess Story #2 “Healthy Improvements at Logan’s Trace Apartments” 2018Logan's Trace Apartments is a low income housing facility in Stanford which has been the site of several sets of classes using the Healthy Choices for Every Body Curriculum. In the past, participants have been great to have in class, but attendance seems to always be low. However, with cooperation and collaboration of the management, great improveme

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Good Health For Every Body

Author: Kayla Lunsford

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Lincoln CountySNAP-Ed Assistant, Kayla GibsonSuccess Story #3 “Good Health for Every Body”- 2018A new class began at the Lincoln County Extension Office using the "Healthy Choices for Every Body" curriculum. 7 ladies graduated from the 7 week class, and loved the learning environment so much that they asked to continue. Although they were graduated from this class, they were invited back to a program starting later in the fall that will be done in collaboration with the FCS

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Hustonville Health Improvements

Author: Kayla Lunsford

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

 Lincoln CountySNAP-Ed Assistant, Kayla GibsonSuccess Story #4 "Hustonville Health Improvements"- 2018The Hustonville Baptist Church coordinates a volunteer ran food bank which serves over 400 people a month. The need for a nutrition class was brought up, so a program was started with the people who come on Thursdays. It met once a month and had a great turnout, with a group of 22 that graduated through the program. This program was a great connection to make because there were so

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Adults Improve Their Nutrition Lifestyle

Author: Stacey Stephens

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Adults Improve Their Nutrition LifestyleStacey Ashbrook NEP AssistantHarrison CountyA Nutrition Class was brought to Hillside Apartments residents in an effort to reach low income families who wanted to improve their nutrition lifestyle. Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum and My Plate materials were used. With monthly classes five participants started their journey to better nutrition. The clients struggled to find inexpensive, tasty recipes that could improve their food choices. Over the

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Cynthiana Youth LEAP to Good Health

Author: Stacey Stephens

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Stacey Ashbrook NEP Assistant Harrison Co In partnership with the Cynthiana Library to educated the youth of the importance of reading and nutrition. A youth class was organized using the LEAP curriculumA small group of kindergarten through second grade came together every other week, one hour for 9 weeks at the Cynthiana Library to learn about the importance of nutrition. Through stories, games, and hands on recipes the post test results showed 100% of the children can now recognize n

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Born Learning

Author: Karen Grant

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Waco Family Resource Center provides a program for families of children zero to five years old that attend Waco school. This Monthly meeting is called Born Learning. Madison County Cooperative Extension Service EFNEP program Collaborates by teaching handwashing, food safety, meal planning and preparation and healthy snacks with an emphasis on trying new foods or a hello bite. Several of these parents have three or more children so time saving is a must. Some quick and easy recipes and snacks

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Madison County Farm Bureau Federation

Author: Karen Grant

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

At the Madison County Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting, The Ladies Auxiliary invited Madison County Nutrition Education Program to set up a booth as requested with information on sun safety and drinking enough water. For the last 2 years The Madison county Nutrition Education program used a Derma Scan machine which shows sun damage by using a black light.  Most farmers wear only ball caps and therefore do not protect their ears, neck and side of their faces. One hundred percent of part

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Power Of Produce

Author: Karen Grant

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Madison County Farmers Market, Berea Farmers Market, Madison County Cooperative Extension Service Nutrition Education Programs and 4-H. In an effort The Power Of Produce was a collaboration between Farmers Market 859, to get more fruits and vegetables into the diets of Madison county residents each market gave out samples of a vegetable to taste for kids with a recipe featuring that particular vegetable for all to taste. Each market featured a different vegetable.Thirty one percent of custo

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Richmond Headstart Parents

Author: Karen Grant

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Madison County Cooperative Extension Service EFNEP Assistant teaches Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum to Richmond Headstart parents. Clients learn skills in food safety, basic cooking and food preparation, meal planning and how to save money at the grocery store. Also eating healthy with my plate, and choosing better beverages.With and outcome of 100 percent of clients showing an improvement in their diet quality. 100 percent improved in food safety practices and 63 percent

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Lunch at the Market

Author: Kayla Watts

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the 5-A-Day program developed and promoted by the USDA, citizens are encouraged to increase fruit and vegetable consumption to 5-9 servings daily. Although community members may understand the importance of consuming more fruits and vegetables, access to these foods can be difficult. Breathitt County residents have minimal access to healthy foods, thus making it even harder to combat health epidemics such as diabetes and heart disease using a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables

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Super Star Chef Camp

Author: Amanda Dame

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the American Heart Association, teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime, they will be more likely to eat healthier as adults, and build self-confidence. The McLean County Extension Office collaborated with Family Resource and Community Education to provide the Super Star Chef three day cooking camp to children during the summer. Twenty children between the ages 9 to 18 attended this 3-day camp during the summer. Of these t

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CANE Kitchen

Author: Nanette Banks

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Commercial kitchens are a way to expand market opportunities for Kentucky farmers. And while this approach has found marginal success in other counties, the newest such kitchen has a unique angle. Letcher County's Community Agricultural and Nutritional Enterprises (CANE), Inc. is tied closely to the healthcare industry, in fact it was created through a partnership between Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation (MCHC), Letcher Co. Extension, GROW Appalachia, and local producers. This partn

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Senior Citizens

Author: Myrna Vazquez

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Calloway County Nutrition Program Assistant conducted the Healthy Choices curriculum to the senior citizen population of CallowayCounty. The Murray Calloway Senior Center collaborated with two series of the programand a total of 19 participants (16 females and 3 males) completed the seven lessons. The program focused on healthy eating for "one or two", food safety, knowing the limits, breakfast, planning, reading labels and my plate. Participants show interest on the meals for &quo

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Diversity

Author: Myrna Vazquez

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Calloway County Nutrition Program Assistant conducted the Healthy Choices curriculum to the Spanish speaking community of CallowayCounty. Lessons were scheduled on a monthly and weekly basis. Five participants completed the seven lessons which focused on healthy eating habits. The group was composed of young female adults and grandmothers, both with the same interest of learning new and simple healthy recipes for their families.Participants received kitchen utensils and Spanish handouts of e

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Grandparents Help Kids Develop Good Eating Habits

Author: Sandra Kennedy

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

October 8, 2018Success StorySandy KennedyClark County Extension ServiceGrandparents Help Kids Develop Good Eating HabitsPlanning Healthy meals was difficult for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, due to different likes and dislikes of healthy food choices.  Grandparents reported the children  only wanted Fast Food, Soda and Chips, resulting in higher calories which lead to extra weight gain that is harmful to their young bodies.The Grandparents reported they tried everything to encour

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Mercer Area Family Education Wellness (MAFEW)

Author: Bobbie Hancock

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Mercer County Nutrition Educational Program Assistant partnered with Mercer Area Family Education Wellness (MAFEW) in a summer program that was held at Mercer County Elementary School. The NEP Assistant would go once a week for 6-weeks to work with a group of 3rd through 5th graders on nutrition using Exploring My Plate with Professor Popcorn curriculum. The children were introduced to My Plate and then were asked to describe the plate. Each week the NEP assistant gave a lesson on a section

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Celebration Saturdays at the Market

Author: Denise Wooley

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Throughout the United States there has been an increased interest in local food. This interest has helped farmers find new opportunities to market directly to the consumer or put a “face with the food.”Kentucky has 85,260 farms with an average 164 acres.Local food systems further small agricultural businesses and allow consumers to know the producer and how the products have been grown/ raised or processed.Locally grown produce is a nutrient-rich product because produce allowed to ri

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Christmas Project and Better Beverage Choices

Author: Emily Burke

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Christmas Project and Better Beverage ChoicesThere is a program in Owen County that helps to provide local families in need. With Christmas gifts for their children. To receive gifts, they are required to attend educational classes and complete 40 hours of volunteer hours. I provided the Nutrition Education classes to fulfill the educational class requirement. During this program, families were taught about making better beverage choices and the dangers of consuming too much sugar and caffe

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Christmas Project and Eating Out Less

Author: Emily Burke

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Christmas Project and Eating out LessThere is a program in Owen County that helps to provide local families in need. With Christmas gifts for their children. To receive gifts, they are required to attend educational classes and complete 40 hours of volunteer hours. I provided the Nutrition Education classes to fulfill the educational class requirement. During this program, families were taught about how to better budget food dollars and the benefits of eating at home versus eating out, usin

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Christmas Project and Food Safety

Author: Emily Burke

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Christmas Project and Food SafetyThere is a program in Owen County that helps to provide local families in need. With Christmas gifts for their children. To receive gifts, they are required to attend educational classes and complete 40 hours of volunteer hours. I provided the Nutrition Education classes to fulfill the educational classes’ requirement. During this program, families were taught about food safety and the importance of washing their hands before they start cooking, using

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Senior Citizens and Being More Active

Author: Emily Burke

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Senior Citizens and Being More ActiveThere is a program in Owen County that helps to provide local Senior Citizens with Nutrition Education. We work with the local Senior Citizens Center to bring Owen County’s seniors the latest nutrition informationDuring this program, seniors were taught about the benefits of staying active, using the Healthy Choices for Every Body Curriculum. At the Beginning of the program, 100% of seniors reported that they are never make choices to be active. At

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Family Lifestyles

Author: Tracy Cowles

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Family Lifestyles Television ShowThe Extension Agents for Family and Consumer Science Education, in eight counties of the Mammoth Cave Area that can access the Proclaim Broadcasting network, WPBM TV Channel 31 via cable, dish, digital or antenna television have partnered to take over hosting of the 30 minute, weekly Family Lifestyles television show. Fifty five episodes were taped and aired from October 16, 2017 – October 15, 2018.The eight Mammoth Cave Area Counties that currently ha

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Growing and Eating food

Author: Jennifer Bridge

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Ongoing educational efforts continued in the Meade County Preschool program though nutrition, fine motor and critical thinking skills development.  Producing food was introduced in September to the eight classes (4-morning and 4 afternoon)in the preschool program.  The ANR and FCS agent worked with the children to plant lettuce seeds for use in the November nutrition education program and to introduce the process on how food grows.  One hundred and forty nine children took part as

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Cooking Matters

Author: Deborah Messenger

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Family and Consumer Sciences Agent partnered with the Lake Cumberland District Health Department to present Cooking Matters. The purpose of this program was to teach participants ways to choose and prepare healthy foods for their families within their food budget. Participants were taught skills to help them move closer to healthy eating, cooking and food budgeting goals. The program included six sessions. Topics included: MyPlate, food labels, kitchen tips and tricks, smart planning and sho

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Audubon Area Early Childhood Garden

Author: Dee Heimgartner

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Planting and watching a garden grow can be a great experience for youth. Crittenden County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Dee Heimgartner worked with Audubon Area Early Childhood Development program in Marion to start seeds and establish two raised garden beds.The Early Childhood students, primarily at risk children from birth to age five, planted squash seed in early spring. The children watched the seed grow into a young seedling. At the beginning of summer, the squash plants along wi

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You Can't Learn If You Are Hungry

Author: Kathleen "Happy" Raffaele

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

"You can't learn if you are Hungry." That is what the SNAP Education Assistant in Anderson County KY hears the Director of Anderson Community Education (ACE) say all the time to the Students With A Goal (SWAG) group.The SWAG kids are often hungry when they come to their classes at the ACE Building. While snacks are always available to the students, they may not always be of the healthy variety. To combat the problem, the SNAP assistant joined forces with the ACE Director and severa

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KSU EFNEP Cooking series

Author: Jhamicah Harbut

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

 According to the CDC limited resource families are more vulnerable to obesity and related health diseases because of poor nutrition and limited access to nutrition education. In Kentucky, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), estimate 66.2% of adults are overweight or obese in Kentucky. In Fayette County, through the federally funded Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), the EFNEP program has been a factor in helping families to learn about nutrition educat

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Super Star Chef

Author: Nanette Banks

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Childhood and adult obesity rates are on the rise in Kentucky. A growing number of families eat “on the run” instead of cooking at home. As a result, many children don’t receive the needed basic cooking skills and do not consume the USDA recommended fruits and vegetables each day. To help aid in the prevention of childhood obesity, improved diets, and to encourage healthy cooking within the youth population, the Letcher County Family and Consumer Sciences agent partnered with t

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Nutrition Education - Impact in a Small Community

Author: Linda Combs

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

During the 2017-2018 program year the Knott County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program assistants (SNAP assistants) taught 171 limited resource families how to serve more nutritious meals, to keep foods safe, and to utilize local food resources efficiently. Of these 171 families 134 completed the program while 37 are continuing in the program.  69% of families made an improvement in the nutritional quality of their diet. 64% of families demonstrated an improvement in safe food handlin

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KSU SNAP-Ed Program

Author: Lora Gullett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

KSU SNAP-Ed ProgramLora Gullett, Area Nutrition/SNAP-Ed AgentRowan CountyAccording to USDA, the goal of SNAP-Ed is to improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP will make healthy food and lifestyle choices that prevent obesity.  SNAP-Ed addresses these needs with paraprofessionals to teach basic nutrition to participants in a series of lessons on nutrition related topics.   Kentucky State University SNAP-Ed program is currently covering 5 counties in the state and each parap

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Gardening Education and Good Nutrition 2018-19

Author: Curtis Judy

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

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Cooking Class Successes

Author: Mary Hixson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent has been conducting Cooking Classes for the past six years to reach clientele to teach about the skills of food resource management, food safety, and food preparation in order for participants to learn about affordable, healthy, nutritious food and make healthy choices when purchasing, preparing and consuming foods. Participants in Cooking Classes both day and evening recently filled out surveys to learn their level of healthy eating, safely handl

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A Restart with Head Start

Author: Teresa King

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The state of Kentucky’s current obesity rate is at 33%. Meade County, Kentucky has an obesity rate of 34%. Within Meade County there is only 11% of residents that are consuming the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. The lack of food preparation knowledge and experience contributes to these statistics. Therefore processed, prepackaged food items are a staple in many homes.Meade County Head Start and the EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) assistant of Meade

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SNAP-Ed Improves School Nutrition

Author: Jessica Reed

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Montgomery CountyJessica Reed, SNAP-Ed Program AssistantSNAP-Ed Improves School Nutrition Many school age children in Eastern Kentucky are missing out on the knowledge of a healthy lifestyle. Through cooperation with Montgomery County Schools, SNAP- Education is providing nutrition classes to first grade at Northview Elementary, and second grade at Camargo Elementary with OrganWise curriculum to provide students with this knowledge. It is very important to learn to make healthy choice

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Teen Cuisine

Author: Laykin Smith

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Teen CuisineSNAP Education assists youth in acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and changed behavior necessary for nutritionally sound diets, and to contribute to their personal development and nutritional well-being.  Teen Cuisine curriculum was presented to a group of teens in an after school program held at the local library over the course of several weeks. Topics discussed were reading labels, food safety, kitchen terminology, just to name a few. Many of the teens enjoyed the c

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Gutermuth Elementary School 2nd Grade

Author: Emma Robinson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In 2018, Kentucky had the third worst rate of obesity in the country with 20% of Kentucky teens being obese and 13% of Kentucky children between ages 2 and 4 being obese.  Gutermuth Elementary School in Jefferson County has 91% of students qualifying for free or reduced priced school meals.  These are the children who grow up to be overweight adults who are at risk of diabetes, heart disease and other issues. 13% of these students are Hispanic with limited English proficiency.Jefferson

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How Snap Ed is improving the lives of youth in Montgomery County

Author: April Crouch

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Impact Statement for last quarter 2018 Montgomery County  April Crouch, SNAP-Ed/Nutrition Assistant  Kentucky State University’s Nutrition Education Program 2018 annual report cited an estimated one in three youth residents in this country are overweight or obese based upon research from the American heart association. Many school districts have experienced budget cuts as well in the last several year

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Fruit Salad

Author: Andrea Munoz

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky has the fifth-highest rate of obesity in the nation. About one-third of U.S. adults are obese. Approximately 12.5 million of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese. In an effort to educate the youth, the Whitley County SNAP-Ed Program has collaborated with the County High School Culinary Program in order to improve balance meals when the future chefs are planning their meal. Starting in the fall of 2018 and using t

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Rustic Bread and Homemade Mozzarella Class

Author: Alivia Faris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to information collected from Kentucky Health fact 42% of adults in Lawrence County are in less than good health, which is almost twice as much as the Kentucky State average of 23%. This information has lead the Lawrence County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education to develop programming that focuses on healthier choices for better living. One notable program conducted based on the alarming statistic above was the Whole Grain Demonstration and Healthy Da

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Diabetes Support

Author: Barbara Campbell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Diabetes SupportWith a high rate of diabetes in Fleming Co. the Fleming County Cooperative Extension is host to a monthly Diabetes Support Group. The group meets the second Tuesday of each month. Attendance varies from six to fourteen people. The Family and Consumer Science Agent does a class taken from the Diabetes Curriculum and the SNAP-Ed assistant usually follows with a lesson taken from the Healthy Choices Curriculum. A recipe from the NEP Calendar or from the Healthy Choices is prepared e

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Healthy Families

Author: Nellie Buchanan

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Kentucky ranks 45th in the nation in health disparities, sedentary lifestyle and in the top 10 for obesity.  That said, providing FCS educational programming to promote healthier families is essential to thriving families in KY and Morgan County.  County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences Education, along with Nutrition Education Program Assistant, diabetes coalition, early childhood council, local hospital, schools, farmers market, family and youth resource centers, heal

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Local Foods Program Helps Feed KY food insecure families

Author: Judith O'Bryan

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Families suffering from food insecurity is an increasing need in our community.  God’s Pantry Food Bank estimates that 1 in 5 children and 1 in 4 senior citizens are utilizing their services at least once a month.   To address this need the Laurel County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent is collaborating with several local organizations to ensure access to sufficient food supplies for individuals and families.  This past year the Extension Office has coordinated with the Ke

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Learning Healthy Snacking Habits

Author: Lorie Dunn

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Grant County averages 2408 families receiving SNAP Benefits of $304 per month.  100% of Grant County School Students receive free lunches.  The Grant County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program (SNAP-Ed) in conjunction with the Sherman Elementary School Family Resource Center worked with the third grade students to assist them in making better nutrition choices.  Since many of the children are home without adults for some period after school (until their parents get

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Moving and Improving

Author: Lorie Dunn

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Grant County KY has an Adult obesity rate of 35.6% and a physical activity rate of 30.2%. .  The Grant County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program (SNAP) in conjunction with the Sherman Elementary School FRSYC worked with a group of low income families to encourage healthy nutrition and exercise habits.  The families were instructed in the Healthy Choices Curriculum.  With the assistance of Master Food Volunteers, they had lessons on My Plate, Meal Planning, Budgeti

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Makinh Better Choices

Author: Vernell Sheets

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Expended Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), part of University Cooperative Extension Services assistance taught classes to adult groups on saving money for food. Food insecurity in Kentucky is 14.7%. An estimated 3,109 Morgan County residents live in poverty, and 878 of them are children under 18.An entry and exit food recall was given to each group member. Having enough money for food at entry was 0% and at exit was 20% meeting recommendation. Cooking at home at entry 65%, exit &nbsp

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FCS Dine-In Day

Author: Deborah Messenger

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

FCS Dine-In Day is held each year on December 3rd to encourage families to prepare and eat healthy meals together. The Cumberland County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent collaborated with the Cumberland County High School FCCLA teacher to promote family mealtime and bring awareness to the benefits of eating family meals together. In the high school classes, students were given recipes to prepare to take home to share with their families and encouraged to share pictures on social media of their

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Know Your Limits

Author: Benita Wade

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

      Heart disease and diabetes are common health issues with many middle aged and older adults in Kentucky. Christian County is no exception. In 2017, 12% of adults had diabetes and 37% had hypertension. Many people in disadvantaged areas eat a diet high in saturated fat, sugar and sodium. Many times this is due to the lack of nutritional education.     The Christian County SNAP-Ed assistant taught the Know the Limits lesson from the Healthy Choices for Every Body

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Picky Eaters No More

Author: Julia Wilson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Trust for America’s Health Survey , Kentucky’s obesity rate for children ages 10-17 has increased to 33.5%. (Trust for Americas Health, 2016). Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is vital to help combat the youth obesity rate.In the fall of 2018 the Edmonson County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent partnered with the Edmonson County 4-H Program Assistant and a 4-H Club leader to offer nutrition education and a healthy snack to members of the Kyrock 4-H Club.

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Recipes for Life program brings nurition education

Author: Whitney Hilterbran

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in Kentucky and rates remain high--19.7% obesity rate for Kentucky youth ages 10 to 17 years old, which is eighth highest in the nation (CDC). Diet quality indicators for Kentucky reflect low intake of fruit and vegetables among both adults and adolescents—37% of adolescents consume fruit less than once daily, and 38.5% consume vegetables less than once daily (CDC). The current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, st

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Grow It Cook It Try It Like It

Author: Kathleen "Happy" Raffaele

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the State of Obesity Report, more than 20% of Kentucky teens are obese, the third worst rate in the country. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Assistant in Anderson County KY met a group of enterprising 4th and 5th grade students at Emma B Ward Elementary School in Anderson County who had started a garden club at their school. They planted, harvested, and sold their vegetables at the Anderson County Farmers Market. The students were taking the first steps in learn

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KSU EFNEP Improving health and wellness

Author: Jhamicah Harbut

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the National Council for Health Service, 34 percent of adults are obese. Obesity and health-related disease have increased in Kentucky. In Fayette County, through the federally funded Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), the EFNEP program has been a factor in helping families to change food pattern behaviors to low-income families. The Kentucky State University, Cooperative Extension Program, SKY Families program offers parent education groups to reduce child abuse

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Menifee After-School Program Features Literacy Eating and Activity for Primary (LEAP)

Author: Vanessa Harris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Menifee After-School Program Features Literacy Eating and Activity for Primary (LEAP) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that only 9% of students eat the required amount of fruits, and only 2% eat the required amount of vegetables needed for healthy living.  Having access to fruits and vegetables is one of the limiting factors for consumption.  To promote making healthier food choices and overall good health, the Menifee County SNAP-ED Assistant taught six (6) L

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Learning Life Skills

Author: Lorie Dunn

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Grant County KY has an Adult obesity rate of 35.6% and a physical activity rate of 30.2%. The Grant County Nutrition Education Program, Family and Consumer Sciences, Master Food Volunteers, Williamstown Kiwanis Club and North Key Community Care collaborated to offer a series of classes using the Healthy Choices Curriculum.  North Key provides mental health, substance use, behavioral and developmental disabilities services.  The goal was to assist their clients with life skills such as

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Improving as a Family

Author: Lorie Dunn

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Grant County averaged 2408 families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits of $304 per month. Grant County SNAP Education Program, partnered with the Williamstown Independent School System and the Twenty First Century Grant Program to offer nutrition based programs for both Elementary students and their families.    Elementary students and their parents qualified for 100% free lunches. The students are continuing to participate in after school programs offering th

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Improving Nutritional Status of Drug Abusers

Author: Lora Gullett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Improving Nutritional Status of Drug AbusersLora GullettKentucky is in the top ten states with the highest level of drug abuse and the fifth for obesity rates. Drug abuse has been shown to contribute to poor nutritional status.  This is due, in part to financial struggles and unstable living situations associated with drug abuse.  These are common obstacles to recovery that can lead to food insecurity, which significantly contributes to the relatively unbalanced diets for drug abu

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First Graders Take the LEAP

Author: Teresa King

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In Kentucky nearly one out of two children consume less than one serving of fruit daily. Some children are not given the opportunity to try new foods at home, including fruit. In an effort to teach healthy habits and food choices at an early age, the Meade County EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) assistant collaborated with the Family Resource Center at Ekron Elementary to offer a LEAP (Literacy, Eating, and Activity for Primary) program. Weekly, for six weeks, a bo

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Quesadilla Day

Author: Mary Elaine Burton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Johnson County Senior Snap-Ed Assistant conducted a 6-part series of lessons with the Johnson County High School’s Family Consumer Science class. The curriculum used was the Teen Cuisine which featured various recipes selected by the class. A total of 80 students from 3 classes attended the 6 lessons. Seventy-five percent of the total class admitted to being picky eaters and had reservations about eating onions and peppers. In particular, many in this group said that they didn’t

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Rehab for Change

Author: Laykin Smith

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Hazel Hills is  a drug rehab facility located in Owingsville Kentucky which houses females who struggle with addiction. Kentucky State University's SNAP Education Program has partnered with the facility to provide nutrition education and hands on life skills to clients. The local SNAP Ed Program Assistant makes weekly visits to the facility to share ways of improving their health through nutrition. Weekly classes consist of topics such as budgeting, food safety, reading labels,  br

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SNAP- Ed Improves Senior Nutrition

Author: Jessica Reed

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Montgomery CountyJessica Reed, SNAP-Ed Program AssistantSNAP- Ed Improves Senior Nutrition SNAP Education provides unique learning opportunities to all walks of life.  Our work can be applied to most setting and all social statuses. Recently, Linda, a 69-year-old of Mt. Sterling Kentucky with a 9th grade education, enrolled in the Healthy Choices for Every Body program offered at a local apartment complex.  Upon entering the program Linda stated she never cooked meals at home, rar

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Nutrition at the Senior Citizens Center in Rowan County

Author: Rachel Price

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

            Nutrition at the Senior Citizens Center in Rowan CountyKentucky is the eighth state in the highest obesity rate, most Kentuckians have a high risk of chronic illnesses such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes, so to help gradually lower the rate I decided to start the Healthy Choices curriculum at the Rowan County Senior Citizens Center. Because bettering someone’s nutrition has shown to reduce chronic diseases and promote bette

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Farm to Table – Making 100 the New 1500 in the Hart of Kentucky

Author: William Crawford

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

It is estimated that meals travel an average of 1500 miles to get from the farm to the average American’s plate.  To combat this wasteful use of resources transporting products, the locally sourced food movement is gaining momentum across the country and the Kentucky Commonwealth.  In order to qualify as locally sourced food, generally it is not transported over 100 miles. With the growing trends toward resource conservation, reduced CO2 emissions and increased nutritional value

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Try it You'll Like It

Author: Marcia Moss

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

  According to County Health Rankings and Roadmaps the number of pregnant teens in Bullitt County from 2007-2013 was 549. This was based on the number of births per 1,000 female population ages 15-19.In order to help young mothers and their children eat healthy,to work towards a healthier lifestyle the Bullitt County County Cooperative Extension Service Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program assistant and the Bullitt County Public Schools TAPP have partnered for the fourth year to w

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Put the Salt Shaker Down

Author: Barbara Campbell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The staff from Fleming County Cooperative Extension Service visits the Senior Center several times each month. The average attendance at the center is 35 to 40 people each day depending on the weather and amount of sickness. The SNAP assistant has a regular visit on the fourth Monday of each month. It was during one of these visits that the Salt and Sodium lesson from the Healthy Choices Curriculum hit close to home for many of the participants. After the NEP assistant showed how much salt our b

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Spanish Class or Nutrition and Wellness Class? Why not both?

Author: Andrea Munoz

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

This was the question that our program faced when we offered SNAP-ED to the Independent School District in Corbin, Whitley County. We have been working in the Middle School for almost a year doing after-school program in the form of Cooking Club, and Summer Camp through our signature program Rookie Cooking Camp (RCC), however, we haven’t been in able to work with the enrichment programs during the school hours. Lucky for us, we were able to combine the use of the Yummy Curriculum that has

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Food Safety Awareness at Oasis

Author: Brenda Williamson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Lake Hill Oasis is a recovery center for people with addictions. When people enter the recovery center for the program they are often malnourished. The clients that stay there share close living quarters and share a kitchen together. The clients have to share the kitchen duties during their stay. There was great concern by the staff members of Oasis that the clients needed help in knowing how to handle, prepare and store food safe, so that the clients would not get sick.The Nutrition Education P

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Economical Entrees

Author: Lora Howard

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Wilderness Trail Area Homemakers are rural counties in Eastern KY, families make choices to improve health and wellbeing and incorporate economical and nutritious food into their diet reducing chronic disease.  The Family and Consumer Science Agent taught Economical Entrees as an Area wide Leader’s Training in six counties with 30 attendees. The immediate evaluation after the program showed100% understood the role of the entrée in My Plate and the Dietary Guidelines100% could i

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Improving Diet Quality

Author: Judy McGuire

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Based on the information gathered from a “Get to know your needs” discussion with participants at the beginning of a new class at the Floyd County Library, several of the participants though because they added fruits and vegetables to their diets sometimes that they were getting the nutrients they needed for a proper diet. After teaching several classes on MyPlate and emphasizing the importance of not only getting at least three servings of vegetables and fruits a day, but addin

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Improving Your Lifestyle

Author: Judy McGuire

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Knowing that physical exercise and nutrition is an important part of our goal to a healthier lifestyle in our county, the Floyd County Cooperative Extension Service, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and the Floyd County Library partnered together to offer nutrition/exercise classes as an incentive to reach this goal. The Food and Physical Activity Entry Questionnaire was given at the beginning    of classes. There were four (4) participants enrolled. Only

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Junior Master Gardeners

Author: Kenna Knight

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Pendleton County Extension Office was selected as a pilot program for the state to administer the Junior Master Gardener Curriculum from Texas A&M University. Agents Lindie Huffman, ANR; Kenna Knight, FCS; and Shelley Meyer, 4-H; received training from the specialist of Texas A&M and began work to partner with Southern Elementary School, Pendleton County Public Library, and Transitions Drug Rehabilitation Center to offer gardening education and skills building workshops around the co

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What do I wash?

Author: Cindy Maggard

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Nutrition Education Program (NEP) is a program offered by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.   The goal of the NEP program is to help limited resource youth and adults improve the quality of their diets, resources and management through individual and group classes.  Curriculum is researched based developed by nutrition specialist and on the needs of participants.  Youth programs are based on school core content.The nutrition program assistant in Knott C

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Ways to Eat Well Wednesday

Author: Joy Rose

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Limited income senior citizens come to the Wolfe County Extension Office each month to pick up food boxes from a drive through God's Food Pantry.  The Wolfe County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Assistant (SNAP/Ed) looked for a way to attract these senior citizens to come into the office for nutrition education classes.  The assistant offered the opportunity for these food box recipients to have their boxes held until the next day, at which time they could come in to t

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Meat...It's What to Eat

Author: Diane Mason

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Animal protein is often the most expensive item on a menu for families. Choosing inexpensive cuts and styles of common animal proteins can be daunting, and knowing how to prepare them properly is important to help avoid food and money waste.Boone and Kenton County Cooperative Extension joined together to provide a three-part series focused on helping individuals know how to choose and prepare common animal proteins. Each two-hour program focused on a different meat: beef, fish and chicken. The h

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Cooking through the Calendar

Author: Katie Wallace

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

With over 41% of the county being obese an important focus for the Elliott County Cooperative Extension office is programming involving nutrition and physical health education. The Cooking through the Calendar program utilizes the 2019 University of Kentucky Food and Nutrition Calendar. Each month focuses on a different recipe featured in the calendar. Participants view a live demonstration of the recipe being prepared and are able to sample the recipe at the end of the program. The program also

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Those Hard To Reach Places

Author: Michelle House

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Middle schoolers are hard to reach because they go with what actions are trending as popular.  They may not eat veggies because fries are what others are grabbing.  They may not be physically active because messaging, texting, and video calling are all the rage.  Goodness knows this age group is too busy to bother themselves with thoughts of food safety.  All of this leads to poor food choices, obesity and chronic conditions, and possibly more days sick from not washing hands

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Easy Isn't Always Right

Author: Michelle House

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

It is much easier to choose convenience foods and ready made meals that take less time to prepare and are seemingly cheaper on the wallet.In Laurel County Kentucky the local Nutrition Education Program assistant worked with a group of residents all adults with various ages for seven weeks.  Each week a different topic and recipe was brought to the participants' attention.  Hands-on, interactive recipe preparation, the information publications, as well as recipe-related reinforcemen

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SNAP-Ed Do, Participants See

Author: Michelle House

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Food safety behaviors are often spoken of and even expected by consumers on public institutions but those same whisperings and standards are omitted at home.Fourteen participants met with the Laurel County Nutrition Education Program assistant seven times to discuss Healthy Choices for Every Body.  After these sever lessons, 100% (14 of 14) of participants improved their knowledge and behavior practices regarding general food safety as well as cleaning items and surfaces before, during, and

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Too Much Sit, Not Enough Fit

Author: Michelle House

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The popular and seemingly harmless thing to do is be online, in front of a gadget, and/or sit inside when there is real life to live.  Caregivers are afraid to allow children to be outside unattended and often their energy is spent on devices; with the obesity epidemic this needed addressed.Partnering with a local independent school, the Laurel County Nutrition Education Program assistant met with the third through fifth graders six times to discuss healthier food and behavior choices. &nbs

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Small Changes Makes a Difference for Louisa Elementary Parents

Author: Ruth Kirk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to Feeding America, Lawrence County has a food insecurity rate of 17.3%. This alarming statistic means that 2,750 individuals do not know where their next meal is coming from. Lawrence County Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Assistant partnered with Louisa Elementary Family Resource Youth Service Center (FRYSC) Coordinator to educate parents who qualify for a free Thanksgiving basket. The educational programs consisted of nutrition, food safety, food security, food man

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Professor Popcorn Helps 3rd Graders Explore MyPlate

Author: Ruth Kirk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Lawrence County childhood obesity rate is 19.5% compared to the State of Kentucky childhood obesity rate at 15.6%, according to Kids Count Data Center (2010). The Lawrence County Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Assistant taught Professor Popcorn to 3rd graders at Louisa East Elementary School. Two classes of 60 students enjoyed the lessons and were excited to try some new foods as well as trying the same foods in different forms (ex. grapes and raisins). After an evaluation

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SNAP Recipients Increase Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables

Author: Viola Wood

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

SNAP Recipients Increase Consumption of Fruits and VegetablesSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP benefits were designed to help low income households have access to a basic level of nutrition.  The Kentucky Nutrition Education Program empowers participants to achieve and maintain good health by encouraging healthy habits like eating more fruits and vegetables.According to the Centers for Disease Control, CDC 1 in 5 of Kentuckians eat the daily recommended amount of fruits and 2

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Mountain Comprehensive Care Therapeutic Rehabilitation Program – Learning To Live Healthy

Author: Robin Thompson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the 2018 County Health Rankings and Roadmap, 36.3% of Martin County’s adult population were considered obese.  Today, about half of all Americans have one or more chronic diseases, often related to poor diet. KentuckyHealthFacts.org reported 14% of Martin County adult residents have a prevalence of diabetes and 60% with a prevalence of hypertension.  To address the issue, The Supplemental Nutrition Education Program partnered with Mountain Comprehensive Car

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Healthy eating on a budget

Author: Valerie Robinette

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Pike County Cooperative Extension Service Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program’s partnership with WestCare, a non-profit organization whose services include treatment for substance abuse, mental health and well-being. The residents were taught how to prepare food in advance, measure and mix ingredients to prepare a meal. They were eager to learn to how to save money at the grocery store. By using The Healthy Choices for Everybody Curriculum they were instructed on the five fo

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Portion control to a healthier life

Author: Valerie Robinette

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Pike County Cooperative Extension Service’s Expanded Food Nutrition Educational Program partnered with WestCare Rehabilitation program to teach the "Healthy Choices for Every Body" curriculum to female clients at Pike County Detention Center. The Expanded Food Nutrition Educational Program provided seven or more nutrition lessons which include topics about MYPLATE; Eating Better on a Budget; Reading Food Labels; Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein, Dairy and more. Client

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Off to Change Their World

Author: Viola Wood

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Off to Change Their WorldMuhlenberg County Job CorpThe Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that 39.8% of American adults are obese, the number of obese young adults aged 20-32 are growing at the alarming rate of 35.7%.  Young adults come to the Muhlenberg County Job Corp from various backgrounds and various parts of the country to learn a trade and make themselves more employable when they leave on the Job Corp.  The Muhlenberg County SNAP-Ed Assistant partners with the Muhlenberg

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GET YOUR BODY MOVING

Author: Patara Strunk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

11/08/2018PATARA STRUNKEXPANDED FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAM ASSISTANTPERRY COUNTY KYThe Perry County Cooperative Extension Service’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) assistant partnered with the Perry County school system to bring the Farm 2 School program to every eighth-grade student in Perry County.“Kentucky has the fifth highest rate of obesity in the nation” as stated by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.   Obesity is caused by po

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We Got GAME

Author: Reda Fugate

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Reda E. Fugate, Perry County KY SNAP-ED Program Assistant Senior November 2018                                                       WE GOT GAME  Center for Disease Control (CDC) studies show teenagers spending more time on electronics, lack of physical activity, and poor diet quality are leading to more healthy issues for teens.&nbs

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Money Down the Drain

Author: Susan Grimmett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Money Down the DrainBased on the most recent United States Census report, the poverty level in the United States is 17.6% while the poverty level in Kentucky is higher than the national average at 20.3%Residents at a local shelter stated they ran out of benefit food dollars mid-month and had to rely on the shelter’s food bank to feed their family during the remainder of the month.The shelter partnered with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education Assistant (SNAP-Ed Assistant

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Incentives Take Flight

Author: Susan Grimmett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Incentives Take FlightThe obesity rate in Kentucky is the 8th highest in the nation according to the American Cancer Society leading to several diseases prominent in Boyd County. The Boyd County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education Assistant (SNAP-Ed Assistant) presented the Organ Annie and the Organ Wise Guys program at a local Head Start class.  Included in each lesson, the Hardy Heart Pump-Up (jumping, running in place, and moving their arms over their heads) was

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Two Bite Tuesdays

Author: Susan Grimmett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Two Bite TuesdaysAccording to the Center for Disease Control most recent statistics (2017) 19% of children in Kentucky are considered obese.The Director at a Head Start facility stated that the children were picky eaters and would not try new foods.Organ Annie and The Organ Wise Guys program along with Dash, MyPlate Superhero puppet, presented MyPlate lesson teaching the children about the five food groups.  Each child was given a copy of the book from the USDA entitled Two Bite Club a

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Pop the Added Sugars

Author: Susan Grimmett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Pop the Added SugarsStatistics from the Center for Disease Control indicate that the diabetes rate in Kentucky has risen from 4.3% in 1994 to almost 23% in 2017 with the greatest increase of this disease in low income populations.A seven week program was conducted at a local housing authority by the Boyd County Cooperative Extension Service SNAP-Ed Assistant (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education Assistant) for the residents.  The second week’s lesson was taught abo

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Economical Entrees Help Save Money and Leads to Healthier Diets

Author: Jill Harris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Pre-planning meals helps individuals and families save money as well as incorporate more healthy foods into their diets. Typically, the entrée, consisting of protein, is the main component of a meal and can be the most expensive. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a healthy eating pattern which includes a variety of protein foods in nutrient-dense forms. The protein foods group comprises a broad group of foods from both animal and plant sources and includes several subgr

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Learning to Live with the "Silent Killer"

Author: Kathleen "Happy" Raffaele

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

 Diabetes is sometimes referred to as the “Silent Killer” because the symptoms are not always recognized. The American Diabetic Association estimates 30 million people have type 2 diabetes with seven million of those undiagnosed. In an effort to assist the clients at Open Hands Food Pantry in managing their diabetes with proper nutrition and exercise the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Assistant in Anderson County KY provided a Living with Diabetes Workshop

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The Glitter Bug

Author: Barbara Campbell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Glitter BugWith the news of so many cases of Hepatitis A in the area, The Fleming County Cooperative Extension Service has been working to make people more aware of germs and the importance of handwashing.The SNAP-Ed assistant visits monthly with nearly two hundred students in two of the county elementary schools. It was during one of the monthly visits that the assistant used the Glitter Bug to help students understand where germs are hiding and how important it is for them to wash their ha

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Winners Circle Club helps students make Food Safe Choices

Author: Dianne Hayward

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Cumberland County Middle school tried a new leadership program with their students introducing a club day once a month where the students chose from about 15 programs that included anything they did not have in a normal daily school curriculum. The school recruited local volunteers from different areas of the community including the Extension Service staff to come and teach a class. The goal was to show students how they could learn from extra curricula activities.As all the students in Cumberla

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THE CHILDREN ARE LISTENING

Author: Patara Strunk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Children Are ListeningPatara StrunkApril 1, 2019EFNEP AssistantPerry County, KYMany students in our local schools rely heavily on the food they receive at school as it provides most of the nutrition some of these youth receive.  Some children are responsible for choosing their own food.The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Food and Environment Cooperative Extension Service partnered with the Perry County school system to teach nutrition to every first-grade student in the co

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What's New in Healthy Snacks

Author: Rachel Hance

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to data from the Barren River District Health Department, Logan County ranks 39th out of 120 counties in terms of health and has an obesity rate of 36%.  Studies have shown that healthy eating habits contributes to better overall health and less risk of chronic diseases.  The Logan County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent taught “What’s New in Healthy Snacks” to homemakers in the Mammoth Cave Area to address one area of healthy eating.  Goals

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"PASS THE VEGGIES PLEASE"

Author: Patara Strunk

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

“PASS THE VEGGIES PLEASE”PATARA STRUNK5-13-2019EFNEP AssistantPerry County, KYThe CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help protect against many diseases.   The same report says only 8% of adults meet the daily fruit recommendations and only 6.3% of adults meet the daily vegetable recommendation.  Despite the many health benefits, Americans are not consuming enough fruits and vegetables.  Many of the fami

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OVERALL WELLNESS

Author: Reda Fugate

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Reda E. Fugate Perry County SNAP-ED Program Assistant SeniorMarch 2019                                                           OVERALL WELLNESSStudies show youth in Kentucky don’t receive the recommended daily amount of Nutrition and Physical activity.The Perry County School District and Hazard Independent School District partnered with Per

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Learning Days at RCARS

Author: Martha Yount

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Cooperative Extension continues to search out new ways to connect the public with valuable information. Families in the Eastern portion of the state are particularly in need of skills related to producing and preparing their own food since many have limited resources or have health conditions related to diet and exercise. The 36 counties that are served by the Robinson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability (RCARS, or The Robinson Center) contain most of Kentucky’s counties that ra

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LEAP For Health

Author: Kelli Bonifer

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Kids Count Data Center, the obesity rate for Adair County is 14.9%. Research has shown there is a natural link between nutrition, physical activity, and reading. Reading books that focus on preparing and eating healthy foods and being physically active may motivate children to adopt positive food and physical activity behaviors that last a lifetime. The Adair County Cooperative Extension Service collaborated with Adair County Head Start to offer the Literacy, Eating, and Activit

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Master Chef Middle School Cooking Class

Author: Amanda Dame

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

McLean County is a small rural farming community in Western Kentucky. In 2015, McLean County was ranked 50th in the state for obesity rates in Kentucky (KentuckyHealthFacts.org). Since that date, the county has lost two of the three grocery stores; creating a food dessert in most areas in the community. Master Chef was created as an after school program for middle school students focusing on educating youth on nutrition, healthy lifestyles, and food safety. This program has been implemented for

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High School Cooking and Nutrition

Author: Allison Lewis

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

                Benefits of learning to cook as a teenager is a skill one can use throughout their lifetime. In the past couple year’s society has gotten away from teaching younger generations this skill set; due to prepackaged foods, fast food, and overly busy lifestyles. This is why the 4H Agent, Agriculture Agent, FCS Agent, and program assistant partnered with the Spencer County High School FCS Teacher to provide  cooking and nutrition class

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Food Safety

Author: Vanessa Harris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Food Safety   Foodborne illness is a common, costly-yet preventable, public health problem. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 6 Americans get sick from contaminated foods or beverages each year, and 3,000 die. Using the Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum, the Menifee County SNAP-ED Assistant taught the lesson, “Keep Foods Safe” to 8  enrolled families at the Project Worth Food Pantry.  This lesson about food safety pract

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KSU PEARL girls 2019

Author: Jhamicah Harbut

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to choosemyplate.gov consuming dairy improves bone health and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. In Fayette County, through the federally funded Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), the EFNEP program has been a factor in helping children to learn about nutrition education, meal planning, and food safety techniques to educate and change food pattern behaviors to low-income families. Fredrick Douglass high school is a predominantly minority and free and reduced lunch

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Students Take Steps to Better Health

Author: Brad Stone

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the CDC for children aged 2-19 years old, 18.5% (roughly 13.7 million) children and adolescents are considered to be obese.  Broken down by ages, 2-5 year olds had a 13.9% obesity prevalence, 6-11 year olds have an 18.4% obesity prevalence and 20.6% of 12-19 year olds are considered to be obese.  These frightening statistics led faculty at the Tollesboro Elementary School to invite the Lewis County Extension Office Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistant to come into t

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Nutrition after Incarceration

Author: Marcia Moss

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Since August of 2013 the Bullitt County Extension Service and the Bullitt County Detention Center's Substance Abuse Program has partnered to bring nutrition to the men in that group. The Substance Abuse Program is on a volunteer basis and approximately 327 men have graduated the program. Though not all can be counted for our program all the men have been able to take the nutrition class.On April 11th of 2019 we had invited an Extension Specialist for Substance Use Prevention and Recovery fro

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Kentucky's Recipe for Life Program, Harrison County

Author: Benita Peoples

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Evaluation of the University of Kentucky’s Recipes for Life Program(Harrison County)Program Dates:  November 2 and 5IntroductionThis evaluation report summarizes data from the fall 2018 implementation of Recipes for Life Program in Harrison County. A pre-posttest design was employed to examine the impact of the program on students’ nutrition and cooking knowledge, cooking self-efficacy, and attitude toward cooking. Data for the study came from the 211 students (male= 101 and fem

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Foods Fun!

Author: Shelby Sipes

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

A three day cooking class was offered to 42 students, ages ranging 9-13 years old, at North Central 4-H Camp by the Jessamine County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and Snap-Education Assistant. Over the course of the three days, a variety of skills were taught. Students learned how to read a recipe, how to measure ingredients with the correct measuring tool, and how to safely use kitchen utensils. In addition to learning basic principles of cooking, students had to work together to prepare t

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Healthy Aging

Author: Laykin Smith

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to a Time magazine article (March 4, 2019), loneliness and social isolation are growing public-health concerns for people of all ages in the United States, especially seniors. Studies have long connected loneliness to a range of health issues that could threaten longevity and well-being, including higher risks of heart attacks, strokes, depression, anxiety and early death. Now, the latest National Poll on Healthy Aging finds that about a third of seniors are lonely.“Research show

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Preschool Parents Group

Author: Teresa King

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In Kentucky, an estimated 90% of adults do not meet the national recommendations for fruit and vegetable servings. Parents of preschool age children should be healthy role models. Children of this age are apt to imitate their parents.In an effort to increase the fruit and vegetable consumption of the families, the EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) assistant partnered with Payneville Elementary. The school offered incoming kindergarten parents a Junior Mustangs Program. The EF

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Can I eat that?

Author: Cindy Maggard

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Nutrition Education Program Assistant in Knott County teaches low income families.  Class participants vary in age from young adults to seniors.  Diet quality is a concern for adults and they are sometime limited on what they can eat as they get older.One senior homemaker had approached the assistant on some help on her diet.  She was having some health problems and had read that limiting gluten in the diet would her issues she was having.  The assistant suffers from Celi

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Accessing Nutritious Foods at the Market

Author: Christy Stearns

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

As a result of our high poverty rate and other risk factors, 18.6% of Clinton County residents are burdened with food insecurity. Residents have also reported that only 7% get the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables each day. Community members of all ages need access to healthy foods. Expansion of the current farmers market and access to healthy locally grown foods were noted in recent work with the CDC High Obesity grant as well as the Community Health Improvement Plan. Efforts to

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Nutrition at Rookie Cooking Camp in Rowan County

Author: Rachel Price

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

            Nutrition at Rookie Cooking Camp in Rowan County                        Childhood obesity in the United States is at an all-time-high. It has more than tripled since the 1970’s; about 13.7 million children and adolescents have been affected according to cdc.gov. As part of helping reduce childhood obesity, Rowan County SNAP-ED Program hosted a Rookie Cooking Camp at the Rowan Cou

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SNAP Education Programming In Full Swing

Author: Luke Fries

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In March, Nelson County FCS Extension, with the support of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the state Nutrition Education Program Office, was able to hire a SNAPEd Assistant to serve one of the greatest needs of the county; nutrition and access to healthy and local foods.  Under the supervision of the FCS Agent, the SNAPEd Assistant in Nelson County has hit the ground running, enrolling new members in the program and marketing the NEP Curriculum throughout.  One of

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Eggs are Dairy not Protein

Author: Marcia Moss

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Bullitt County Extension Service and the Bullitt County School System have partnered for the past five years to bring nutrition and healthy eating in to some of the Elementary schools. We have used My Plate for Kids to give the students in first/second/third and fourth grades a basic knowledge of the five food groups.One of the most challenging food groups seems to be the Dairy group as most students want to put eggs in dairy since that is where they are located in the grocery store. The fir

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KSU Winburn cooking workshops

Author: Jhamicah Harbut

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Healthy cooking is important for many families with children. According to choosemyplate.gov he MyPlate icon is a reminder to make healthy choices from each of the five food groups. In Fayette County, through the federally funded Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), the EFNEP program has been a factor in helping adults with children living in the home to learn about nutrition education, meal planning, and food safety techniques to educate and change food pattern behaviors to lo

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Small Changes Lead to Lasting Results

Author: Jessica Reed

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Small Changes Lead to Lasting ResultsAt Main Cross Apartments SNAP-Ed classes began in October of 2018. Each month nutrition lessons, as well as physical activity tips, are shared with the group. During each class a chair exercise is shared, Ruth was always willing to participate and learn all she could. Since beginning, Ruth has only missed one lesson. The classes have taught her to start small.As research has shown “slow and steady wins the race. Losing weight too fast can take a toll on

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SNAP-Ed Promotes Affordable Health Care Special Enrollment Options

Author: Lora Gullett

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The number of people signing up for affordable health care during open enrollment was down 4% in Kentucky this year.  However, there are some circumstance that permit signing up options throughout the year. The Rowan County Public Library received a $500 grant to promote affordable health care special enrollment options.  Along with encouraging people to sign up for affordable health care, the grant money could be used to promote healthy lifestyle classes, nutrition and advertisement f

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Positive Impact of Nutrition Education Programming in Jefferson County

Author: Caroline Durr

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the most recent data from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Service’s Report from December 2015, there were 110,516 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in Jefferson County (Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Data Book, December 2015). To bridge the gap between providing access to nutritious foods and a lack of knowledge regarding healthy food preparation, nutrition education programs have been designed and implemented. The Kentuck

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Community Collaborations Improve Youth Health Knowledge

Author: Caroline Durr

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Kids County Data Book published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 2015, 17% of children in Jefferson County were living in food insecure households. Additionally, in 2009, 15.6% of elementary aged children in Kentucky were determined to be obese and only 21.4% of Kentucky adolescents reported being physically active for at least 60 minutes daily on each of the 7 days prior to the Youth Risk Behavior survey administered by CDC, Division of Adolescent and School Health. Obesity

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Cooking with the New Generation

Author: Andrea Munoz

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

This summer, I chatted with a six-grader girl that attended my Rookie Cooking Camp last year. Rookie Cooking Camp is a signature program of Kentucky State University. It is a 3 to 5-day program that goes to schools or places where kids are for summer time and teaches them skills such as knife skills, meal planning, label reading, meal etiquette, utilizing farmers market, and shopping skills Each day, participants prepare their own meals. We often have a field trip such as Kroger, Moonlight Meat

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Down on the Farm

Author: Lora Pullin

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Greenup County Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Agent partnered with the Greenup County 21st Century Program to assist in educating youth during summer day camps. The day camp lasted for one week highlighting the theme “Down of the Farm.” The day camps are designed to enrich reading and math skills during summer break in creative ways. During the camps students were involved in hands-on experiences to enrich these skills. The Greenup County Family & Consumer Scie

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Vegetables—The Final Frontier

Author: Rosie Allen

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Even in the world’s greatest food-producing nation, children and adults face poverty and hunger in every county across America. According to recent US Census estimates, the median household income in Kentucky is almost 20% lower than the U.S. median household income. Kentucky also has higher percentages of poverty and food insecurity among its population compared to the census estimate for the United States overall.A study by Feeding America shows that the face of hunger is one we might re

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Teaching Teens the Importance of Healthy Cooking

Author: Sandra Kennedy

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

“Teaching Teens the Importance of Healthy Cooking”Parents have very hectic schedules, sports activities, after school programs, overtime on their jobs, they are too busy to teach or to prepare healthy meals for their teens.Most teens spend a considerable amount of time at home while parents work nights. Parents choose convenience foods such as, microwaveable meals, pizza, and sugary drinks for easy access.Working together with the Migrant Education Program Director, our NEP Assistant

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Healthy Choices Through Organ Wise Guys

Author: Sherry Ragsdale

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Since behavior risks associated with obesity start in the childhood years, it is important for children establish healthy eating habits.  In order to help address this problem, a series of six lessons was conducted by the Oldham County Extension Service EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) assistant in two Oldham County schools.  The Organ Wise Guys were used to teach the youth how to make healthy nutritional choices and to establish healthy eating habits.  Physic

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Impacting Food Insecurity

Author: Christy Stearns

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Clinton County Extension Office facilitated a grant from the Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center from 2015-2018 to increase coordination and participation in USDA child nutrition assistance programs.  All children in the district qualify for free school breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision, so efforts focused on the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Through the support of nearly $100,000 in grant funding, st

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Social Marketing NEP

Author: Katherine Shoultz

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The need for a marketing campaign arose from national, state, and local data on the incidence of poverty in Kentucky, and the impact of poverty on the nutrition of children. According to the Kids Count Data Center, 26% of Kentucky’s children live at 100% poverty, and 41% live in areas of concentrated poverty.   Statewide, 73.19% of Kentucky’s students qualified for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program, as of October, 2017.  Research has show

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Cook Together, Eat Together tackles Food Insecurity

Author: Andrea Slone

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the median household income in 2017 in Floyd County, KY was $31,196. The per-capita income was $18,366 with 32% of persons below the poverty line. Food insecurity has been a rising and continued issue in Floyd County. In 2017, Feeding America claimed that 7,150 individuals in Floyd County were food insecure.In partnership with the Floyd County Health Department, the Floyd County Family & Consumer Science Program offered the Cook Together, Eat Tog

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Tasting the Alphabet

Author: Tiffany Bolinger

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to Kentucky Health Facts (BRFSS), 71% of Christian County residents have a BMI score placing them in either the overweight or obese categories and only 9% of Christian County residents are consuming the recommended 5 vegetables and fruits per day. In order to address these issues the Christian County Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) teamed up with the Hopkinsville Housing Authority to bring Tasting the Alphabet to their youth summer camp program. The program was a success

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Trimble County Farmers' & Artisans Market

Author: Ralph Hance

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Farmers markets are used by Kentucky growers of all farm sizes and scales. “Market gardeners” often tend less than an acre of land to sell produce only at the lo­cal farmers market. Larger farms, including Kentucky orchards, may use farmers markets as a secondary seasonal retail outlet to reach more local customers. Farmers markets are often viewed not only as impor­tant local food marketing locations, but also as gather­ing places that benefit the local community.Kentuck

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Ag/SNAP-ED Collaboration

Author: Lyndall Harned

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Over the past 9 months. I have collaborated with the SNAP-ED program assistant on providing 10 programs to 8 distinctly separate audiences on 7 different topics. The audiences varied from Homemakers to special needs adults to senior assisted living residents to abuse shelter residents.  The topics included: teaching different cuts of meat and how to economically choose meat to proper cooking techniques for various cuts; healthy, non-traditional ways to prepare eggs; how to grill with specia

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Corn Syrup is Everywhere, and is not Evil

Author: Lyndall Harned

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

I worked with the county SNAP-ED assistant in developing and presenting a program to 2 pre-school classes about corn syrup. We discussed about what corn syrup is, the different types (which we had on hand and let them sample as a pure, straight product), and how it is used. We talked about how pervasive it is in our diets, even in many things we would never think of, many products which we again had on hand for them to try, such as prepared meats, snacks, drinks, etc. We talked about how corm sy

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Roasting Vegetables Increases Consumption

Author: Kathy Byrnes

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) just 1 in 10 adults meet the federal fruit or vegetable recommendations for consumption, putting them at risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.  Seung Hee Lee Kwan, Ph.D., of CDC states “As a result, we’re missing out on the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that fruits and vegetables provide.”            In an effort to increase home preparation and consumption o

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Lewis County Residents Spring into Health

Author: Brad Stone

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Lewis County Residents Spring into HealthAccording to the CDC, Kentucky has an estimated 30%-35% population considered to be obese.  Even more frightening is that nearly 35% of adults in Kentucky engage in no leisure-time physical activity with only 15% of adults in Kentucky meeting the aerobic and muscle strengthening guidelines.   This information led the Lewis County Cooperative Extension SNAP-Ed program assistant to invite community members to participate in an eight (8) week class

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Youth Tries Apple Slices

Author: Sarah Spears

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Introducing new and healthy food is a part of the work of caring for children. Children’s experiences with food can be varied; for some children it is quite easy to try new things, but for others it can create anxiety. Taste tests are a great way to experience new foods in smaller portions, in hopes that they are not as overwhelming as a whole meal. This year, the Floyd County Cooperative Extension Office Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program partnered with Allen Element

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Greenhouse Group Learns Cooking Skills

Author: Sarah Spears

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Floyd County Cooperative Extension Office Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program partnered with Mountain Comprehensive Care’s Auxier Greenhouse this year. The Auxier Greenhouse is one of three programs around the area that provides supportive instruction to developmentally and intellectually disabled adults, all in a positive environment. The program grows and sells a variety of locally grown vegetable plants, house plants, annual flowers, perennials, trees and shrubs. In doing all

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A New Condition

Author: Mary Elaine Burton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

  The Johnson County SNAP-Ed Senior Assistant recently conducted a series of 7 lessons with a local Homemakers group. During the first lesson they were asked to talk about any nutritional concerns they might have. They all have issues with chronic diseases that arise over time due to a poor diet. They voiced their concerns about the growing health related conditions as we grow older. Over 50% of the group suffered from at least one chronic health condition that have led them to seek me

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Conquering Healthy Habits at Eden Elementary 3rd Grade

Author: Robin Thompson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Concurring Healthy Habits at Eden Elementary 3rd Grade According to 2016 data from the U.S. Census Bureau Small Area and Income Poverty Estimates, Child Poverty in Kentucky was 24.4% with 3,993 Martin County residents living in poverty, 1,207 of those being children under the age of 18. To help address this issue, the Martin County Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Program partnered with 3rd grade Eden Elementary students and teachers to increase their fruit and vegetable consu

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Small Appliance Workshop

Author: Deborah Messenger

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

New, trendy small appliances seem to be coming out on the market at a rapid rate. These are often marketed to consumers to save time, money and energy. These products are often purchased without being fully researched and the consumer is left with a new machine that they do not know how to properly use. This contributes to money invested in a product that is not being used and space that is now being occupied by bulky boxes. In an effort to educate consumers about new small appliances on th

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Safe the Date

Author: Mary Elaine Burton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Safe the Date The Johnson County SNAP-Ed Senior Assistant held a series of 7 nutrition lessons with the Johnson County Head Start Parent Group. During one of the sessions the clients talked about misunderstanding the different types of packaging dates on their food products. Some thought that foods were ok to eat as long as they smelled and looked good. They also had concerns on food waste and how to properly store leftovers when cooking for their families. We went over the lesson, &ld

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Reaching New Audiences

Author: Stephanie Derifield

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Recruitment continues to be a challenge for Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistants. Since NEP lessons are taught primarily in group settings, locating individuals in group settings who are eligible for SNAP benefits, is not an easy task.  Area Agent encourages NEP assistants to be mindful of new programs and agencies in their communities that target our NEP audience. To promote SNAP-Ed and EFNEP, Area Agent continues to network and form relationships with agencies, who work with or as

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Super Star Chef

Author: Sherry Becknell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In two thousand sixteen the Owsley County Cooperative Extension service provided a Super Star Cooking camp during the summer. During the camp the children prepared a new recipe each day. Three years later the Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program Assistant still receives phone calls and messages from the participants wanting a recipe that was prepared during the camp. Even received a few face-time calls with a demonstration of the recipe being prepared. Lasting impressions. 

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New Chances

Author: Sherry Becknell

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Tasting a new food is not a very popular activity with adults nor children. It seems to be too easy to draw a conclusion about the taste of food based upon its appearance. Therefore people fail to experience what could be their new favorite food.The Owsley County Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program Assistant participated with the Save the Children Program in a day camp held at the Owsley County Elementary school. During this camp children was able to participate in different activities. Th

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Healthy Choices for Every Body

Author: Sara Jenkins

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky’s self-reported prevalence of obesity among adults is 31.6%, among the highest in the United States. Prevalence of related diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and some cancers, is directly proportional. In 2014, 11.3% of Kentucky’s adult population diabetic. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in Kentucky, accounting for 28%

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NEP Works for KY

Author: Sarah Brandl

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Every day, limited resource families and individuals face many obstacles when trying to make healthy food choices, secure food, safely prepare and manage their food budget. The Nutrition Education Program in Kentucky addresses these needs with work done by paraprofessionals hired to teach basic nutrition in 81 of the 120 counties.  During the past year, 5 new NEP paraprofessionals were hired bringing the total to 100 NEP assistants in the state. These newly hired paraprofessionals were

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Increased Healthy Food Access across Kentucky

Author: Heather Norman-Burgdolf

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Research is clear that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help protect against several chronic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Nationwide, it is estimated that only 12.2% of adults meet the recommended amount of fruits each day and only 9.3% meet recommendations for vegetables. Kentucky falls even further below the national averages with only 8.0% of adults meeting daily recommendations for fruits and 6.3% meeting recommendations for vegetables.

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Pre-school and kindergarten students learn to grow and eat broccoli and cauliflower

Author: Glen Roberts

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Collaborators: Pre-school and kindergarten students, teachers, teaching assistants, school principal, extension  ANR agent Glen Roberts, ANR assistant, Terry Bertram, FCS assistant, Cassie Munsey, VoAg students and Master Gardener volunteers.The Principal at Walker Early Learning Center was interested in applying for a grant from Lowe`s to obtain supplies to construct 16 raised beds (one per classroom) for pre-school and kindergarten.  She asked the Wayne County Extension office for ad

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Bourbon County Backpack Program

Author: Karen Denniston

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Bourbon County Backpack Program’s main goal is it to reduce hunger for children in our community.The mission is to accomplish this goal by facilitating a program that allows community member to “give back”.  Donations of food, time and money are returned 100% to the youth of Paris and Bourbon County.  During the 2018-19 school year 16,577 backpack bags were sent home with Paris and Bourbon County students, averaging approximately 417 students receiving food per we

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Lawrence County Recovery Center Gardens

Author: Laura Maggard

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Horticulture therapy has been around for hundreds of years. This type of therapy first became acclaimed in the 1800’s and in the 1940’s and 1950’s, therapist used horticulture with post war veterans to help heal their mental and physical problems. Horticulture therapy is proven to help individuals of all ages and backgrounds to overcome addition, physical disabilities, and mental problems alike. Horticulture therapy assists with bringing individuals close to nature. Gardening l

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Healthy Choices for Everybody LIVE

Author: Julia Wilson

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Edmonson County is a rural county in south central Kentucky. Due to the lack of public transportation in a rural county, limited number of program facilities, and residents leaving the county for work, the Healthy Choices for Every Body Live was developed to overcome those barriers in Edmonson County. The Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum was taught via Facebook live videos in a private Facebook group since October of 2016.The Edmonson County FCS Agent and SNAP-Ed Assistant worked togethe

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Grow-A-Patch

Author: Amy Aldenderfer

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Grow-A-Patch is initiated to teach and support groups and churches to grow veggies and donate the produce to soup kitchens, food banks, and feeding stations to supplement the diets of low income families.The Lincoln Trail Area Master Gardeners with the inspiration of the Horticulture Agent have contacted six local churches to be the inaugural group to grow food to donate to the local soup kitchen and food bank.  The groups will build their own raised beds, plant donated seeds and plants (so

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Farm to school is a Big D.E.A.L (Digging,Eating,Agriculture and Learning)

Author: Dianne Hayward

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

 April each year usually sees the start of the veggie growing season and the start of the community programs for our low income families in Cumberland County.This year the Extension ANR, FCS agents and myself (NEP Assistant) decided to do something different from the normal programs. They had applied for a farm to school grant and partnered with the Cumberland county farmers market and the county schools food service staff to be the liaison for local produce being bought for the school meal

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Smarter Lunchroom Pilot Program

Author: Sara Talbott

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Central Kentucky Area Nutrition Agent attended the Smarter Lunchroom Conference at Cornell University in May 2017. After attending the conference with another area agent, they worked with the Regional Specialist for Food and Nutrition to implement the Smarter Lunchroom pilot program to Extension Agents. The Smarter Lunchroom Movement is a project that provides resources in creating a healthy lunchroom atmosphere at little to no cost for the school. Smarter Lunchroom has eight areas that a sc

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Healthy Parents = Healthy Children

Author: Jennifer Burgess

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

 Healthy Parents = Healthy ChildrenIn today’s busy world parents of young children face many obstacles when trying to make healthy choices for themselves and their families.  Kentucky Health Facts, in conjunction with the CDC reports that adults in Lee County, Kentucky have a 46% obesity rate and 69% of adults are overweight, while only 2% are eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, and 47% of Lee County adults had no physical exercise per day.  To combat the

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Learning to Prepare Healthier Foods

Author: Rita Stewart

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Easy access to unhealthy foods, increased stress , and limited opportunities for physical activity all create challenges and barriers for Kentucky families in making healthy lifestyle choices.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11% of adults in Kentucky have diabetes and 34% of adults ages 19 years and over were obese in 2016.  29.8% of adults ages 18 years and over also reported no leisure-time exercise in the past month.  In order to empower participan

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Launching the Farmers' Market Toolkit

Author: Jacqueline Walters

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

In Kentucky, 55% of farmers’ markets do not accept SNAP benefits. Yet, recent  surveys conducted by the University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program revealed that SNAP-eligible Kentuckians who shopped for fruit and vegetables at farmers’ markets, roadside stands and pick-your-own produce farms in addition to grocery stores ate an average of one serving more per day than those who shopped only at grocery stores.  Increasing SNAP-eligible Kentuckians’ access to fr

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University of Kentucky SNAP-Ed Mobile Technologies Research Project

Author: Michele West

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

2019 Success StoryUniversity of Kentucky SNAP-Ed Mobile Technologies Research ProjectThe University of Kentucky social marketing project to improve dietary quality of SNAP-Ed eligible Kentuckians through mobile technologies is based on the Community Based Prevention Marketing approach. Formative research targeting SNAP participants and SNAP-Ed eligible Kentuckians will determine barriers and motivators to using mobile technology to improve meal planning, food purchasing and meal preparation.&nbs

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SNAP-Ed Partnership with KSU Center for Sustainable Family Farming Boosts Program and Outreach

Author: Gidgett Sweazy

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

As our SNAP-Ed Program Assistants continue to build community relationships, it is clear that the work to be done in our service area is tremendous. One area of focus for our team is recovery centers. The opiod (and other substances) epidemic in Kentucky places our state in the top 3 states for illegal drug use in the United States according to a recent KET Documentary, Journey To Recovery.We serve a residential center in Montgomery County and learned quickly that the center didn’t have an

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To Much SOFA's

Author: Stacy Trent

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents age two through eighteen years which affects the overall quality of their diets. Approximately half of these empty calories come from six sources which include: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk. And most of these youth do not consume the recommended amount of water. To help address thi

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Adulting 101

Author: Stacy Trent

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Basic life skills go mostly untaught in classrooms, so high school youth are sometimes on their own to figure out how to live successfully in the world as adults. To address this problem in Wolfe County, the Nutrition Education Assistant at the Wolfe County Cooperative Extension Service partnered with the Community Education Coordinator to deliver a program for youth in high school using the Teen Cuisine curriculum. The curriculum is designed to help youth become self-sufficient in the kitchen w

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Healthy Cooking Classes

Author: Amanda Hardy

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Healthy Cooking participants do hands on cooking, get to meet and talk to others about cooking, learn about new recipes and taste the recipes along with a lesson on the topic. Utilizing new Plate it Up recipes and revisiting recipes from the past opens up discussion about farmer’s market and what is in season. When it comes to winter time we talk about easy slow cooker meals along with hearty recipes that are not only healthy but taste good. Other classes that were taught were on cooking w

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Jr. Chefs

Author: Tracy Cowles

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The 2019 Kentucky Annual Economic Report published by the University of Kentucky states, based on high school student surveys, “Kentucky students get less physical activity.” Compared to the national U.S. average of 46.5%, Kentucky falls below to an average of 40.06% of students getting adequate physical activity.  Also, “In addition, compared to the U.S., Kentucky students generally have poorer dietary practices.”  Kentucky statistics fall below the U.S. averag

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Farm To Fork-Knowledge Is Golden

Author: Danielle Ford

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Each year the 5th graders (303 this year to be exact) of the Marion County school district are able to participate in the Extension office’s Farm to Fork field day.  This is one of my favorite field days that the office puts on each year. So many children still have no knowledge of where their food comes from or if they do then it might not be the correct information. Being raised a farm kid I always knew that I would someday have a career related to the Ag industry. Although I teach

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Gardening Options for Everyone

Author: Vicki Wynn

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), moderate-intensity level activity for 2.5 hours each week can reduce the risk for obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, depression, colon cancer and premature death. The CDC also considers gardening a moderate-intensity level activity that offers other benefits, as well. In addition to these health benefits, gardens have been scientifically proven to be a stress reliever.Backyard gard

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Teaching Food Preservation in Lee County

Author: Amy Singleton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Regional Extension Agent for the Kentucky Nutrition Education Program and Family ans Consumer Sciences retiree partnered to teach a three-day food preservation workshop in Lee County.Nine participants completed the 2018 Lee County Food Preservation Program including five participants new to Cooperative Extension programming.  They learned the pressure canning, water bath canning, freezing and drying methods of food preservation.  Almost half (40%) of the participants reported using foo

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4-H Teen Conference: Food as Medicine

Author: Annhall Norris

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

The Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition along with FCS Extension provided high school students with hands on experiences where they learned about food as a medicine at this year’s 4-H Teen Conference.  Thirteen students participated in two days of activities learning about food and nutrition topics, their impact on overall health, and how this is connected to what we do in the kitchen.  Registered Dietitians taught students different food preparation techniques and how to

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Senior Citizens "Lettuce" Teach Ways to "Beet" Nutritional Diseases

Author: Angie York

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the World Health Organization, senior adults are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition.   Many of the diseases suffered by older persons are the result of dietary factors, some of which have been operating since infancy. These factors are then compounded by changes that naturally occur with the ageing process.  In an effort to help senior adults learn more about the positive effects of good nutrition on the body, monthly nutrition lessons are conducted at the Lyon County

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Teen Cuisine and Todd County Central High School

Author: Amy Stooksbury

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky youth rank among the 10 highest for obesity in the U.S..  According to the U.S. Census, approximately 19% of Kentucky’s total population is living in poverty; and, approximately 27% percent of children and youth under the age of 18 live in poverty.  KY Dept of Education School Report Card for 2017-18 shows 53.4% of youth receive free lunch and 7.5% receive a reduced lunch rate.Todd County Nutrition Education Pro

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LEAP-Creative Minds Learning Center

Author: Brittany Bowling

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the CDC 60% of children do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, and as they get older children eat even less fruit. With obesity at an all-time high in the state of Kentucky, the Leslie County FCS Agent implement The Literacy, Eating, and Activity for Preschoolers (LEAP) at the Creative Minds Learning Center. Books such as Germs, Germs, Germs, “Clarabella’s Teeth”,” Why should I Eat Well”, “Dinosaur Diner”, and many more were read, phy

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Super Star Chef

Author: Sarah Congleton

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to US Census estimates for 2016, an estimate of 3,993 residents of Martin County lived in poverty and 1,207 being children. Child poverty typically results in food insecurity. Food insecure children do not have access to nutritious foods, like fruits and vegetables. To help combat this issue, the Martin County Family & Consumer Sciences Program partnered with the Nutrition Education Program to implement Super Star Chef. This was a 3-day program teaching children from ages 9-12

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Reaching new under served audiences through nutrition education

Author: Rachael Price

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Grant County KY has an Adult obesity rate of 35.6% and a physical activity rate of 30.2%. The Grant County Family and Consumer Sciences, Nutrition Education Program, Master Food Volunteers, and Williamstown Kiwanis Club collaborated to offer a series of nutrition classes targeting those with mental health issues in Grant County.  The Grant County Extension Service worked in partnership with North Key, a community organization that provides mental health, substance use, behavioral and develo

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4th Grade Life Skill Camp

Author: Melissa Goodman

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18.5% (or 13.7 million) of children and adolescents are obese. To address this problem, the Hickman County Cooperative Extension Service implemented 4th-grade life skills camp: a cooking, manners, and nutrition program for fourth graders. 54 students took a day-long field trip to a local church gym where they learned about manners, food safety, kitchen safety, knife skills, measurement conversion, reading recipes, and other aspects of

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