The Campbell County nutrition assistant worked with Mentoring Plus, a 12 month program for disadvantaged youth. These teens are referred through the local juvenile justice office, school, community organization or agency and matched with a mentor. One of the needs identified was the opportunity to make healthy food choices and to cook for themselves.

The program normally included dinner brought in for the teens but during the Healthy Choices seven lesson series, they were taught to plan and prepare the meal for themselves. The students were able to determine the menu for future classes and were introduced to healthier ways to eat the foods that teens typically enjoy, including mac and cheese and chicken nuggets.

The series resulted in 100 percent of participants reporting at least one improvement in their eating habits according to a national data reporting system. . They also said they were more confident in their ability to read recipes, measure and plan a meal. The confidence gained from learning a new life skill resulted in Mentoring Plus reporting that the teens showed improvement in grades and test scores, better behavior at school and youth getting along better with their families at home.