Success StoryDriving through and Nourishing a Community



Driving through and Nourishing a Community

Author: Cathy Fellows

Planning Unit: Boone County CES

Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General

Outcome: Initial Outcome

The Boone County Nutrition Education Program Assistants partnered with Northern Kentucky Florence LiveWell Coalition, in conjunction with Northern Kentucky Health Department, Freestore Foodbank and Florence Christian Church to distribute food, to food insecure adults and children in the local Florence community.

Every second Tuesday of the month fresh produce, pantry supplies, breads, protein and dairy are dispensed to the Florence community via a drive through or walk up, free food distribution. Florence residents drive through in their cars with open trunks, as well as Senior citizens from a neighboring senior apartment complex; families from the neighboring school and local homeless residents walk up to receive these essential food supplies monthly. The University of Kentucky's Nutrition Education program assistants aid in distributing the supplies along with providing nutrition newsletters and healthy recipes that go along with the items that are being distributed each month. Residents not only receive healthy produce items, they learn ways to create meals with the produce they have been given.

To date approximately 270 households have been provided assistance twice a month. Aiding the needs of 723 individuals, the Nutrition program assistants encourage them to create simple, healthy and affordable meals that nourishes the Florence Community.