In Kentucky 24% of residents 60 and over received food stamps in the last year. In 2016, The Northern Kentucky Health Department formed Live Well, a coalition of agencies in Boone County to help residents of Florence achieve healthy lifestyles. The Boone County Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Program Assistant was a partner member of the Healthy Eating subcommittee, committed to researching how to help communities in need of nutrition and food budgeting education.  The assistant participated in the Live Well monthly free produce distribution at Florence Christian Church to target the limited resource seniors at Arcadia Park Senior Apartments. While residents waited in line to pick up their produce bags, the assistant would invite the group to the scheduled “Healthy Choices for Every Body” series. Recipe cards were distributed to experiment with their new produce, such as eggplant. As a result of the produce distribution networking, a summer nutrition education series was conducted at Arcadia Park. Participants developed meal plans, practiced food safety, and compared food labels to make healthier choices. Data collected from WebNeers, a national analysis program, indicates 54% of participants increased their vegetable consumption after attending the series. One participant, Darlene V. stated’” These classes taught me to how to affordably add fruits and vegetables into my favorite meals. I like the calendar recipes and the produce guide to buy in season.”

Source: Census.gov ACS