In November of 2021, Calloway County 4-H held a Turkey Time Activity Night the Monday before Thanksgiving. A local turkey farmer, Regina Deering with CRD Farms Llc, brought live birds to our extension campus and taught 16 county youth about how her turkeys are produced, raised, and how her heritage breed is different from the turkeys you purchase at the grocery store. She discussed the breeding, healthcare, and management of her turkey flock, as well as the difference in size and taste of her birds compared to large scale turkey producing farms. After viewing the fowl, a question and answer session wrapped up the time with our local turkey expert and many families discussed with Mrs. Deering how they planned to order next year's Thanksgiving turkey from her farm, instead of the grocery store. This helped CRD Farms Llc establish new clientele as well as educate our county families about local food options.    

Once the question and answer session was complete, our agent, Calyn Colston, and the high school and college-aged volunteers moved into helping the youth assemble their own healthy, turkey themed snack. They assembled a turkey out of whole wheat bread, vegetable medley cream cheese, bell peppers, apples, and candy googly eyes. Many of the youth had never tried bell peppers before and, to their surprise, liked them! 

After eating their snack, the group moved onto writing and decorating Thanksgiving cards for one of our local assisted living homes. Each child decorated two cards with personal messages for residents staying at Wesley Living Senior Care just around the corner from the Calloway County Cooperative Extension Office. Our youth learned how this activity was part of community service to bring joy to others that aren't able to be home for Thanksgiving. Overall, this community event had overarching themes of consumer education, healthy eating, and community service to continue developing our county youth to become well rounded future leaders.