According to the Greater Louisville Project, the childhood food insecurity rate is much higher than the overall food insecurity rate. Often, individuals must make difficult (and ongoing) trade-off decision between paying for housing or transportation and buying nutritious food.   Feeding America stated, in Kentucky, 710,000 people are facing hunger and of that number 208,330 are children.  

Seeing changes in culture, family structure, and food costs, this is leading to changing the way we cook at home, and provide healthy nutritious meals. With fewer chances to learn and practice cooking, there are concerns that cooking skills will be lost in younger generations. 

Recognizing these challenges, there are many opportunities for our youth.  The Jefferson County 4-H program, is allowing children to get involved with cooking in the kitchen and supporting their development in many ways.  Not only are they learning skills that they will use as they grow but will also learn to progress as they learn additional culinary skills, and knowledge to strengthen food security, nutrition at home and family time.  They not only learn skills but also look at the way our food is grown, prepared, purchased and consumed.  This is offered before and after school, in the form of cooking clubs at various schools.  This year, they are being held at two elementary schools and two middle schools.   Each club meets six times in a session, with up to twenty youth.  They vary between breakfast themed clubs, adding fruits and vegetables, to using what is in our pantry.  So far, over sixty youth have been reached just this year.  Some youth have attending classes in previous sessions, which then allows for them to progress with a beginner type skill in the kitchen and then allowed to advance these life skills.

The 4-H Agents and assistants take part in helping to plan, prepare and teach these lessons.   Utilizing Super Star Chef curriculum, Plate it up, and continue to consult with the Family Consumer Science agent as well.  All lessons include learning safety, reading recipes,  culinary skills, hands-on, and of course tasting.  After each session, evaluations are given in looking at knowledge within the kitchen gained, trying new foods, learning new skills, knowing wear and how to access food.  Within the last year of programs, over 90% of youth have answered that they have learned new skills and have tried new foods.  We anticipate that evaluations given at the end of sessions offered this year will be the same if not increase.  We are planning to offer these classes in the future and continue to strengthen information given.