Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person lessons, demonstrations, and public relations events were the preferred method of reaching Lawrence County Nutrition Education Program (NEP) clients. With the exponential growth of the pandemic and need to reach clientele in innovative ways, the Lawrence County NEP Assistants created an educational Facebook page. Creating this page allowed NEP lessons and educational materials to continue to reach clientele while they were staying “Healthy at Home.” Since the end of March 2020, all NEP events were postponed, canceled, or moved to a virtual platform. The new Facebook page was key to continuing to reach clients, as it received 550+ followers. Through this page, individuals have been given the opportunity to view and use recipes, learn new information about fruits and vegetables, food safety and security, and watching food demonstration videos.

The Lawrence County NEP Facebook page also provided information regarding gardening, tips to increase physical activity, proper handwashing techniques, meal planning tips, important COVID-19 related information, and “programs on the go” kits. On average, approximately 500 individuals viewed the various post, uploads, and discussions on the NEP Facebook page each week. With some posts reaching over 2,300 views. Some views left feedback on the page in the comments sections on a variety of posts. These comments stated, “thank you for all of the great resources that you make available” and “the website Lawrence County KY NEP Facebook page is amazing, thank you.”  While another said, “thank you for the wonderful recipes, I love them and have made a lot.” These positive comments and others, along with the viewership of the Facebook page demonstrate the success of the page thus far. The NEP Assistants will continue the use of this page in the future in order to continue to reach families across Lawrence County.