Feeding Casey County through Commodities and Food Resource Management

According to Feeding America, roughly 1 in 7 people living in Casey County (15%) are food insecure.  Individuals who are food insecure lack consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live a healthy life.  

To help address food insecurity and help families stretch their food dollars, the Casey County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) Assistant provided classes every Monday night for 7 weeks called Monday Nights of Commodities. Classes held at the Casey County Cooperative Extension Office were focused on helping participants use commodity box items along with other food items they had on hand to prepare nutritious meals without spending more at the grocery store. Participants learned how to make affordable, nutritious meals and how to meal plan for the whole family on a limited budget. The curriculum used for the program was developed by the University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program called Healthy Choices for Every Body and included lessons on MyPlate, food safety, reading food labels, planning meals, eating better on a budget, breakfast made easy, and limiting fat, sodium, and sugar.

This class had 8 participants, 3 men and 5 women, ages ranging from 53 – 82 years of age. All 8 participants graduated from this program at the end of the seven weeks. The evaluation data showed a 100% positive behavior change in food resource management skills. 50% of participants planned meals before shopping more often, 75% of participants made a list before shopping more often, 50% of participants used coupons for food purchases, 63% of participants used a weekly or monthly spending plan for food, 63% of participants checked for sales on food before shopping, and 63% of participants checked for food on sale while shopping at the store.

The data also showed at the conclusion of the program, 88% showed positive change in diet quality, with 50% increasing red, orange, and dark green vegetables each week.  

One participant shared recently that he is a diabetic, and he had lost 66 pounds since first attending these classes. He said that they have really helped him to combine the correct foods to eat healthy and balanced meals for his body condition. He also said that he has been using coupons and planning meals ahead of time.