SNAP-Ed and Budgeting 

The most recent 2018 reporting in Data USA shows that Johnson County Kentucky has a population of 23,280 and a decrease in the median household income from $35,570 to $35,060 that’s a 1.43% decrease. This decrease leaves Johnson County with the poverty rate at 26.2% and 32% of these are children under the age of 18 and 14% are seniors (65 and over). 

The Johnson County SNAP-Ed Assistant worked with 38 participants who attended a series of 7 lessons focusing on meal planning, budgeting, cooking meals for less and feeding their picky eaters. All of the participants received SNAP benefits and other types of assistance to help stretch their family food dollars. All 38 stated that they struggled with putting meals on the table from month to month. The group implemented the Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum by utilizing tips that helped them to create a food spending budget, check for foods already on hand, making out menus and shopping lists and checking local newspapers for store specials and coupons. 

After the series of lessons taught, 95% of the participants reported that they were increasing the food on hand and not running out of food before they ran out of their benefits.

A few of the participants then started coming to the meetings with advice for the others to try that worked for them. One lady told how she saved money by using Social Media Apps along with buying in bulk and preserving foods for later use.