Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, many programming and enrichment opportunities have been taken away or greatly altered for the citizens of Lincoln County. One demographic which has been particularly affected by this change is the elderly.   Approximately 125 people in this age group previously attended the Lincoln County Senior Citizen Center which has had to cease daily activities since March of 2020. Many socially fulfilling and educational programs were held here, including monthly visits from the Lincoln County Extension Office.  Since this type of programming is unsafe for their clients currently, the center delivers weekly food boxes to all of the seniors’ homes, in order to still remain in contact and provide help. 

To continue outreach with this group, the Nutrition Education Program Assistant of Lincoln County has partnered with the staff at the Senior Center to provide educational goodie bags for the seniors receiving food boxes. 750 bags have been distributed between October 2020 and April 2021. These bags vary each time, but always include educational materials on subjects like MyPlate, reading labels, budgeting, food safety and other topics covered in the Healthy Choices for Every Body curriculum.  Even though in-person lessons may not be possible yet with this group, providing these bags for the seniors all throughout the pandemic will hopefully help maintain a relationship and connection that will allow for more interactive programming in the future.