The Floyd County Cooperative Extension Office Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program partnered with Mountain Comprehensive Care’s Auxier Greenhouse this year. The Auxier Greenhouse is a program around the area that provides supportive instruction to developmentally and intellectually disabled adults, all in a positive environment. The program typically grows and sells a variety of locally grown vegetable plants, house plants, annual flowers, perennials, trees and shrubs. In doing all this, the participants have the opportunity to gain life skills and improve their independence through vocational tasks, social interaction and interpersonal relationships. 

The SNAP Program partnered with the Auxier Greenhouse to bring cooking and nutrition skills to the adults that were receiving their services. Monthly online zoom meetings took place instead of in-person meetings. Virtual lessons would be conducted, then the participants were educated on how to prepare simple, healthy meals for themselves step-by-step through food demonstrations. One client was always eager for our meetings. After one of our lessons he once said, “Every time we got on and you make a recipe, I go out and get the ingredients right when the meeting is over!” He continued to say “I’ve made every one you’ve demonstrated so far and the rest of my family likes these recipes as well. Every month we really look forward to trying a new one! They’re so simple and good”.