According to FeedingAmerica.org in 2020 the overall food insecure population in Bell County was 5,790 putting the food insecurity rate at 21.9%.

The Bell County SNAP-Ed Assistant partnered with County Extension Agents to introduce the Cook Wild Kentucky Program in Bell County. Cook Wild Kentucky is a partnership between the Nutrition Education Program, Feeding Kentucky, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry.  This program is designed to educate hunters on how to process their harvest, how to be legal and safe in the field and how to prepare and cook their wild game meat. Fishing is another part of this program. Educating the fishermen on the types of equipment needed for fishing, rules, and regulations for the area he/she is fishing, water safety, prepping and cleaning his/her catch, then how to cook the fish caught. The Cook Wild program was scheduled 4 times throughout the year. The topics presented were related to the type of hunting that was in season.  Food demonstrations were done using the Cook Wild Kentucky recipes. Participants were able to sample the recipe made and hunters can now feed their families meat harvested during a hunt instead of letting the meat waste. Because of the Cook Wild Kentucky recipe cards, families can now prepare food that would otherwise be tossed or donated.

One participant stated “I am so thankful for this program. I’m excited to cook our harvest now that I have recipes to use.”