This Agent along with a group of leaders identified the need to promote and educate healthy living to promote lifestyle modifications and interventions with the children of our community. This decision was made based on the fact that 29 percent of our children are living in a food insecure household according to Kentucky Kids Count and our Farmers Market WIC redemption rates are below 30% in previous years.

As a group we identified the need to promote healthy living and lifestyle changes among our community’s children that includes nutrition, physical activity and economics while buying fresh food locally and supporting our local small businesses, to address this need we partnered with our Farmers Market and Farm Bureau to create the Kids Kash Program sponsored by Farm Bureau.

This program has impacted over 30 children each market day who received Farm Bureau Kids Kash in the amount of $6.00 two times a week for sixteen weeks.  Over 150 families have been impacted by the program every market day. These numbers do not include the many farmers, artisans, farm bureau board, farmer’s market board and their families who have all heard and seen the program succeed. Our program has been featured at local school board meetings and in regional meetings. This Program was recently awarded the state and national achievement award through Farm Bureau Federation. Farmers Market WIC redemption rates have increased by more than 100% from the previous years and was recognized this year with the highest redemption rates in the state.