Feeding America reports that:

“Food Insecurity is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as the lack of access, at time, to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is associated with numerous adverse social and health outcomes and is increasingly considered a critical public health issue. Key drivers of food insecurity include unemployment, poverty, and income shocks, which can prevent adequate access to food. Alternatively, multiple interventions have been shown to reduce food insecurity, including participation in food assistance programs and broader societal-level improvements in economic stability.”

Furthermore, Feeding America most recently reported that Estill County, Kentucky has a Food Insecurity Rate of 21.2%. That translates to at least one in five individuals in the Estill County local community living in a food insecure household. 

The idea of the Estill County Seed Library was to engage the community and increase healthy food availability awareness. Since the Estill County Extension Office Seed Library began in March 2024 – 6,676 recorded seed packets have been distributed throughout the community. This includes a pack of seeds to each child at both Estill Springs Elementary and West Irvine Elementary with a flyer informing families about the Seed Library. Also, 665 seed packets were donated to the Community Action Council. In addition to donating to the local elementary schools, Estill County Extension ran a social media campaign on Facebook, spoke at various civic events, and communicated the opportunity wherever, and whenever possible. 

The biggest increase we've seen in addition to foot traffic and networking in the office, is making community members aware of their access to food opportunities. The feedback we've had from our youth, parents, grandparents, and families has been outstanding. Engaging the public by inviting everyone into our own facility additionally gave us the opportunity to connect face to face with locals and to promote additional office opportunities and information. 

As successful as the Seed Library initiative has been, we foresee continued participation in Seed Library activities going forward in Estill County.

*Reference Citation: 

https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2022/overall/kentucky/county/estill