About a third (31%, 2019) of Woodford County residents are obese according to County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Cooking at home may be one strategy that people may implement to encourage weight loss and healthy eating. People who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less, according to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research.  

Before COVID, these cooking demonstrations were held in person and with samples of the recipe. Since COVID restrictions did not allow for in-person demonstrations or sampling, so to continue cooking programs and to encourage Woodford County residents to cook at home, the Woodford County FCS Agent facilitated “Cooking through the Calendar” cooking demonstrations via Facebook Live. The “Cooking through the Calendar” program features the University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program Calendar. The program was conducted monthly and the recording was made available on YouTube.  

Despite not being able to sample the recipes, more people than ever are viewing the recipe demonstrations and related content over the web. In the wake of the pandemic, more individuals than ever were introduced to strategies for cooking at home and the low-cost and healthy recipes featured in the NEP Calendars. On Facebook and YouTube, the online program had 2,322 views/engagements. Individuals express their appreciation of mealtime inspiration over internet posts and via post feedback and shares.