Ohio County CES

Title:

Healthy & Safe Food Prep Methods; Farm-to-table; Farmer's Market; SNAP; Gardening; Food Dollars

MAP:

Accessing Nutritious Foods

Agents Involved:

Gary Druin, 4-H Agent; Greg Comer, ANR Agent; Nan Montgomery, FCS Agent

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Nutrition and Food Systems General

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Horticulture, Consumer and Home

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Food Preparation and Preservation

Situation:

Increases in obesity and diet-related diseases are major public health problems across Kentucky. Also, limited access to nutritious food and relatively easier access to less nutritious food may contribute to poor diets and, ultimately, to obesity and diet-related diseases. Another factor affecting Ohio County is the high number of low income/food stamp families. This is reflected in ~4300 students in Ohio County school system now being eligible for free breakfast/lunches while at school. Data from 2011 shows 1,959 children receive food stamps, up 16.9% from just 2 years prior.

Nutrition Education Programs (NEP) 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 training consumers and producers to maximize local access to food products from farm to table.  

The ever changing landscape of the family and consumer highlights the need for a responsive and innovative FCS and 4-Hprograms by providing the basic needs through working with youth and families in a variety of situations to increase their consumer awareness, financial management, nutrition, culinary arts, and human development. 

Long-Term Outcomes:

•Individuals will increase consumption of fruits and vegetables through home/ community gardens/ orchards and/or accessing the local Farmers’ Market

•Individuals will prepare meals at home 5 or more times a week

•Farmer’s Market vendors and home gardeners will increase variety of healthy fruits and vegetables available for consumption

•SNAP/ WIC voucher redemptions will increase at Beaver Dam Community Farmer’s Market

*Be responsible and contributing individuals and family members and contribute to a safe and healthy home and community.

Intermediate Outcomes:

•Families will access more local foods

•Individuals/ Families will adopt one recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines

•Individuals engage in good food safety practices

•Individuals will grow, care for, produce and preserve foods from personal gardens/ orchards to gain access to healthy foods

•SNAP/ WIC voucher holders will have increased awareness of available fruits/ vegetables at B.D Farmer’s Market

•School age children will increase awareness of producing their own vegetables

*Youth will practice responsible consumer and financial decision making

Initial Outcomes:

•Students will recognize the importance of eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables

•Students identify and classify fruits and vegetables

•Increase will describe food preparation techniques

•Individuals will describe food safety practices

•Individuals will describe safe food preservation techniques

•Individuals will develop skills and knowledge to grow their own garden/ orchard

•Partners will recognize the need for community social, environmental, and policy systems to address efforts toward improving healthier lifestyles

•Families will recognize the local availability of safe, nutritious fruits & vegetables at Farmer’s Market

•Residents of housing authorities will recognize the value of “community gardens” for access to local vegetables

*Gain knowledge and skills in the 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences projects and programs

*4-H Youth will learn to read and follow instructions and understand the decision making process.

Evaluation:

Outcome: Individuals will increase consumption of fruits and vegetables from home/ community gardens/ orchards and/or increase access to the local Farmers’ Market

Indicator: Increase in Sales at the local Farmer’s Market.

Method: Pre/ Post evaluation. Sales data collected from the Farmer’s Market.

Timeline: All year

Evaluation:

Outcome: Individuals/ Families will adopt one recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines

Indicator: Number of individuals who reported adopting at least one of the recommendations from the dietary guidelines.

Method: Pre/ Post evaluation

Timeline: All year

Evaluation:

Outcome:  Youth who engage in 4-H Family and Consumer Science project work

Indicator: Completion of a 4-H Family and Consumer Science project

Method: 4-H Common Measures Survey, 

Timeline: May - August

Evaluation:

Outcome: Increase in low income families growing their own garden

Indicator: Increase in Food Bank participants & Hispanic families utilizing garden seed packets

Method : Survey of Food Banks participants & Hispanic families

Timeline: Fall 2023

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: School Age Youth

Project or Activity: Farm to School

Content or Curriculum: SNAP Snack like a Super Hero, Plate-It-Up

Inputs: Extension Staff, County Homemakers, County Schools & Teachers, School News Broadcast Team, Local producers, Green River Area District Health Dept., Extension Resources, USDA Farm to School program, City & Government Officials

Date: August 2023 – May 2024

Audience: Low-Income Individuals/ Families, Families with Children

Project or Activity: Farmer’s Market (WIC), Children’s Farmer’s Market

Content or Curriculum: Plate-It-Up, SNAP, Food Preservation Programs, Homebased Micro-processing training

Inputs: Extension Staff, Local Producers, County Homemakers, Local Media (Radio, Newspaper, Facebook), Health Care Providers, KDA, KY Proud Produce Availability Sheets

Date: May – August 2023

Audience: School age children

Project or Activity: Community gardens at schools

Content or Curriculum: ANR Publications, Ready Set Grow

Inputs: ANR, KDA, SNAP, Public Schools

Date: April – August 2023

Audience: Home gardeners

Project or Activity: Growing Your Own Vegetables

Content or Curriculum: UK pubs & Victory garden curriculum

Inputs: Agents, specialists

Date: Winter 2023-2024

Audience: 4-H Chef Club, 4-H School Clubs, Summer Migrant Program

Project or Activity: 4-H Food Preparation & Nutrition 

Content or Curriculum: Super Star Chef, 4-H Cooking, Jump into Food and Fitness, National 4-H Food Curriculum, Exploring MyPlate, 

Inputs: Extension agents and staff, 4-H/FCS Specialists, 4-H Volunteers

Date: Year-round

Audience: Senior Center

Project or Activity: Health Education

Content or Curriculum: Healthy Choices for Everybody, Senior Citizens Center Garden

Inputs: FCS & ANR Agent

Date: Year-round

Audience: Food Bank Participants & Hispanic families

Project or Activity: Garden Packet Program

Content or Curriculum: SNAP, U.K. ,& KSU gardening resources

Inputs: ANR 

Date: March thru Oct. 2024

Success Stories