Our local schools have not been able to have in person family activities this year due to COVID restrictions.  As an alternative, the Healthy Choices curriculum was offered virtually to parents and their children prepared the curriculum recipes together with their parents after the lesson.  The SNAP Nutrition Education Senior Assistant from Grant County, along with the Family Resource Center Directors from Sherman, Dry Ridge and Crittenden Mount Zion Elementary Schools, offered a series of seven classes to families.   Because 21% of children in Grant County live in poverty and 100% of the students at all three schools receive free lunches, the family resource center provided scholarships for the groceries to prepare curriculum recipes if needed.  Classes included My Plate, Know the Limits, Labels, Food Safety, Breakfast, Budget, and Meal Planning.  While preparing the recipes for each class, families had the opportunity to practice skills such as reading a label, knife skills, using a thermometer, and meal planning.  Families had challenges for each class such as writing a weekly meal plan, practicing using a meat thermometer, reading two labels each week, and place all of their recipe ingredients into My Plate categories.  As a result of the classes, 100% made a positive change in their diet, 61% checked for sales before shopping, 57% increased consumption of dark green vegetables and 56% used a meat thermometer more often.  

Each week, one of the families prepared the recipes twice since one of the children was concerned about their disabled grandparents and wanted to make the meal for them as well.   He said “I’m helping to cook for my family and take care of my grandparents too!”  One of the parents stated “I loved the recipes and cooking together.  Also, being able to read the new food labels and saving money and altering ways we spend money.” The Healthy Choices for Everybody series results last far beyond the completion of the series.  Parents and their children not only learn and increase healthy habits together, they also improve their family bond.