According to the Center for Disease Control, Kentucky has the 5^th highest obesity rate in the nation with

17% of the state’s children being obese.  During the 2017-2018 school year, the Family and Consumer

Sciences Agent and SNAP-Ed Assistant formed a partnership to lead six Junior Homemakers groups

(@ 115 students 5^th grade and older) in monthly cooking classes.  Each month, the Junior Homemakers

were taught to prepare new healthy recipes which they could sample in class and take home a copy of

the recipe to prepare at home for their families.  

One important lesson was taught in September 2017 on how to reduce sugars in their diets by using

100% fruit juice to make jars of jelly.  Each Junior Homemaker reported the next month how their

families enjoyed the Jelly.

With the upcoming Holiday season, several of the Junior Homemakers each prepared jars of jelly

to give additional family members as gifts and one prepared jars of jelly for her grandfather’s office

staff.  By sharing the jelly with others, the Junior Homemakers learned the importance of using foods

with no added sugars.