In 2016 the Cook Wild Kentucky project was rolled out for use by Kentucky Cooperative Extension Agents and Assistants. This joint project with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Hunters for the Hungry, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, UK Meat Sciences, Feeding Kentucky, and the Kentucky Nutrition Education Program has grown over the years and now includes 34 healthy recipes using Kentucky game meat and fish, 3 numbered publications with information on including Kentucky game meat and fish in a healthy eating plan, and continued training for Cooperative Extension employees. New in the current program year was the development and printing of a Cook Wild Kentucky calendar featuring recipes and additional hunting and fishing information from KDFWR, as well as a refrigerator magnet with safe cooking temperatures for wild game meat. 

During the 2023 program year, KERS (Kentucky Extension Reporting System) reported the following:

                1528 total hours dedicated to Cook Wild Kentucky

3547 contacts with local stakeholders

19 hours of multistate efforts

3361 pounds of venison donated to local food pantries

120 recipe tasting events

16,802 recipe cards distributed

168 participants in Field to Fork/Hook and Cook classes

An expansion of Cook Wild Kentucky includes information on foraged plant foods, with an interdepartmental team working on print materials to enable limited resource families to safely add wild greens, berries, and nuts to their table for added nutrition.