Shepherds Pie Food Pantry in Magnolia Kentucky serves an average of 247 families equaling 865 people per week in LaRue and surrounding counties.

The number of families served has increased by more than 200 percent with Covid-19.

LaRue County Kentucky has an obesity rate of 36 percent with 16.3 percent being at or below poverty level according to data from Kentuckyhealthfacts.org.

17 percent are food insecure according to data from Feeding America

The LaRue County Extension Service Expanded Food and Nutrition Program (EFNEP )Assistant distributes Healthy Choices information and Healthy at Home Newsletters as well as recipes ideas for fresh produce and 

commodity  items each week.

Comments from participants included:

“ The recipe ideas you provide have helped my family to eat more fresh foods and less fast food”

“ I’d never tried zucchini before, my family really liked the Summer Garden Lasagna”

By increasing knowledge of a healthy diet and distributing recipe suggestions using fresh fruits and vegetables participants have increased the number of meals prepared at home as well as increased the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed to reach a  goal of  overall better health for these families.