A group at a local Jefferson County, KY refugee church contacted the Nutrition Education Program Assistant about beginning a nutrition education program with the refugee community members. The group began meeting regularly and the Nutrition Education Program Assistant with the University of Kentucky’s Cooperative Extension Service noticed that the group was having problems with the way they spent their resources and that they were missing some important cooking practices. They were also in constant stress every month when they were trying to stretch their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) funds. Most of the group did not know the risk they were facing when thawing meat, fish and other protein sources in the kitchen sink hours before cooking. Most were also not practicing proper food handling practices.

The Nutrition Education Program Assistant began the Healthy Choices for Every Body program with the group. The group learned about how to manage their budget and basic rules for food safety. The group was happy to learn that they could avoid running out of food by making simple daily changes and even more satisfied to know how to handle and prepare animal protein sources safely in their everyday food habits. At the conclusion of the program, from survey data, the group demonstrated a 94% improvement in using meat thermometers and thawing meats properly. The group was thrilled that these little changes could bring peace of mind to their lives and that they could spread the knowledge to their friends and other families.