The most recent KY by the Numbers report states, a median household income for families in Letcher County is $32,635.  Letcher County is also one of many counties in Kentucky dealing with a high precedence of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer.  Research has shown there is a natural link between nutrition and making behavior changes that lead to healthier lifestyle choices.  The Letcher County Family & Consumer Sciences Agent has been holding monthly Cooking Through the Calendar programs to provide education and hands on experience in food safety, healthy food choices and skills required to prepare meals safely at home for several years now at the Letcher County Extension Office.

Approximately 20 individuals have been attending the monthly program, Cooking Through the Calendar.  The series focuses on skill building related to cooking, nutrition, and budgeting along with giving participants resources to learn ways for making healthy lifestyle choices.  The Family & Consumer Sciences Agent utilized the Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum and the 2023 Food & Nutrition Recipe Calendar.  The focus is for participants to gain knowledge and skills related to portion control, meal planning/budgeting, having a balanced diet, and skills required to prepare meals safely at home.

The participants work in small groups with instruction by the Family & Consumer Sciences Agent on how to prepare the recipe for the month.  Each month we covered a new skill related to kitchen safety from knife skills to proper food handling and hand washing.  After the meal was prepared the participants sampled their product while the Family & Consumer Sciences Agent led the lesson from the Healthy Choices for Everybody curriculum.  93% of participants have reported an increase in fruits and vegetables daily with 91% reporting using meal planning and budgeting strategies from the course to help maintain a balanced budget in their home.

Participants have reported that they like trying the new recipes at the Extension Office before preparing them at home (just in case they do not like the recipe).  The class has taught me so much about food safety and new kitchen skills (along with seeing and using new kitchen gadgets).