The purpose of expanding Owen County Homemakers to include a brand new club, Home & Heart, is to increase our membership, reach a younger audience in addition to our senior members, and encourage efficient and proper food storage, among other healthy home activities. We want to promote that Homemakers has something to offer for all of those wishing to bring heart to their home, no matter their age, occupation, or household management style.  This new Homemaker Club intends to explore many activities that will encourage a healthy home (not solely nutrition healthy).  The few activities explored have been freezer meals, gardening, canning, and more.  The importance of this club is to carve out a space and time to support each other in our endeavors to support our families. This new club has brought in ten paid new members.   

The club leader, Ginny Miller, wrote a KEHA Development Grant Proposal to receive funding to help promote further and offer prize drawings for new membership.  It was announced at the State KEHA Meeting in May 2022 that her grant proposal was awarded this funding for the Northern Kentucky Area.  This funding will support this mission of new membership by offering prizes for both new membership and renewing membership in the coming year.  Prizes being offered will be vacuum sealers, immersion blenders, canning kits, and FoodSaver jar kits.  

The impact this opportunity will have is worth more than money.  In addition to increasing our membership, as well as expanding our demographics, we are also equipping families to acquire and store food that will benefit them financially and efficiently.  This will also allow new members to become aware of programming they were previously unaware of, and will be more likely to share this information with others.  We have also increased our volunteer base as they have reached out to volunteer their time and efforts to grow, not only our Homemaker Initiatives, but also our Extension program.