Accessing Nutritious Foods and Making Healthy Lifestyle ChoicesPlan of Work

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Hardin County CES

Title:
Accessing Nutritious Foods and Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
MAP:
Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Choices for Overall Well-Being
Agents Involved:
Parrett, Aldenderfer, Stillwell, Adams
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Fit Blue/Get Moving KY
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Mastering Food Choices
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Situation:
Nutrition Education Programs help families gain access to food and stretch food dollars; communities to decrease hunger; and local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy and safe food preparation methods. Agents, paraprofessionals and volunteers are pivotal in influencing policies, systems, and environments and in training consumers and producers to maximize local access to food products from farm to table.
Long-Term Outcomes:

Population will increase average fruit and vegetable consumption by 1 or more servings per day

More new mothers attempt to breast feed their babies and increase duration of breastfeeding to six weeks or more

Kentuckians improve food management skills and healthy eating habits

Youth will be food secure when school is not in session

People accessing emergency food sources will select from nutrient dense items


Intermediate Outcomes:

Increase the number of individuals who:

Bring their children to the Farmers' Market to allow them to make food choices

Access more local foods

Redeem Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program benefits

Plant, harvest and preserve produce

Apply improved food preparation skills, food management skills, food safety and healthy eating habits


Number of:

Residents who shop at the Farmers' Market

Youth who consumer fruits and vegetables

Workplaces and other organizations adopt policies supporting new mothers’ attempts to breastfeed

Youth who access other food sources when not in school

Households accessing emergency food sources

Initial Outcomes:

Participants in Cooperative Extension programs will:


Understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being

Learn to grow, prepare and preserve food

Learn to incorporate unfamiliar foods or foods not currently eaten into a healthy diet

New mothers and those who support them increase knowledge about the health and economic benefits of breastfeeding

Increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, food safety and food resource management

Learn about community support services to increase food security

Increase knowledge of local Farmers' Market and the produce and goods available

Increase the amount of physical activity in their daily habits

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Learn to grow, prepare and preserve food

Indicator: An increase in knowledge and skills of how to grow, prepare and preserve food. An increase in number of participants who choose to have a garden, cook, and preserve harvest. Increase in number of meals eaten and prepared at home.

Method: Evaluations from packaged curriculums, an increase in number of gardens, report of number of meals eaten at home, increase revenuefor Farmers' market vendors 

Timeline: 0-6 months after education


Intermediate Outcome: Increase in number of individuals who apply improved food preparation skills, food management skills, food safety, and healthy eating habits

Indicator: Reports of participants who feel more comfortable and confident in their ability, increase in number of meals being prepared at home, increase in sales at Farmers Market

Method: Follow up evaluation, Farmers Market sales

Timeline: 6-12 months after education


Long-term Outcome: Increase fruit and vegetable consumption by 1 per day

Indicator: Reports, increase in Farmers Market sales

Method: Follow up evaluation, Farmers Market sales

Timeline: 12-18 months after education

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: SNAP-eligible, low income families and individuals

Project or Activity: Healthy Kids, Super Supper Series, Physical Activity based programs 

Content or Curriculum: Nutrition Education Program, Wellness in Kentucky, Get Moving Kentucky

Inputs: CES agents, SNAP-Ed Nutrition Assistant, CES resources and publications, CES NEP resources and publications

Date: March - August


Audience: General Audience

Project or Activity: Cooking classes, Meats 101 classes, food safety programs, Farmers' Market promotion

Content or Curriculum: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud, Weight The Reality Series, etc...

Inputs: CES Agents, specialists and volunteers,

Date: October - November, March - June


Audience: General Population

Project or Activity: food preservation programs

Content or Curriculum: Homebased Microprocessing, Food Preservation curriculum

Inputs: CES agents and specialists, CES resources and publications, NCHFP at UGA, So Easy to Preserve, Farmers Market vendors

Date: April - July



Success Stories

Budget Friendly Recipes Encourage Families to try Nutritious Recipe Options in Hardin County

Author: Chandra DeRamus

Major Program: Cook Together, Eat Together

Budget Friendly Recipes Encourage Families to try Nutritious Recipe Options in Hardin County

Organization: CommunicareTime Frame: July 2019-September 2019For most families cooking is a luxury that some feel that they do not have the time or the money to afford.  The convenience of fast food restaurants has caused families in Kentucky to eat out more on the go. According to the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition study conducted in 2017 in Hardin County, two-thirds (75%) of Hardin County adults were either overweight(28%) or obese (47%) by Body Mass Index (BMI).  This puts them at ris

Full Story

Kentucky State University’s Cooperative Extension Teams up with Non-Profit Organization to Provide Family Resource Kits in Hardin County

Author: Chandra DeRamus

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Kentucky State University’s Cooperative Extension Teams up with Non-Profit Organization to Provide Family Resource Kits in Hardin County

Chandra DeRamusSuccess Story June 30, 2020“Kentucky State University’s Cooperative Extension Teams up with Non-Profit Organization to Provide Family Resource Kits in Hardin County”Our nation is currently facing the challenge of a virus outbreak named Corona virus, COVID-19.  The virus has forced several retail stores, manufacturers, libraries, and schools to close due to the amount of people being impacted from the disease.  In Kentucky the impact from the COVID-19 ou

Full Story

Hardin County Farmers' Market Wins "Best Of" Second Year in a Row

Author: Dayna Fentress

Major Program: Farmer's Markets

For the past three years, the Family and Consumer Sciences Program has aimed to increase the volume and awareness of the Hardin County Farmers' Market. By offering child and adult programs at the market and taking over their social media advertising, the FCS agent and the Farmers' Market board have worked to increase fruit and vegetable intake of Hardin County residents while also promoting the local food system. The market has seen steady and continued growth for the past two summers, w

Full Story
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