A Vegetable Garden for All

The Bill and Betsy Scheben Community Center provides care for adults needing supervision during daytime hours. Activities offered at the center give entertainment, enjoyment, and companionship amongst peers similar to them. The Boone County Cooperative Extension Nutrition Assistant arranged a monthly series throughout the year with the participants of the adult day group to incorporate health education, gardening, and cooking skills into their routine. The assistant identified an opportunity for the group to receive free plants for their on-site community garden. The assistant and director scheduled a field trip to The Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, who provided them with fruits and vegetable plants. Participants examined and categorized the plants as they planted them in the raised bed gardens at the center. Throughout the summer they managed their crops and researched recipes to create. The assistant taught “Healthy Choices for Every Body” lessons and demonstrated how to construct meals to make with their harvest. Their remaining vegetables went home with the participants, making them feel like they are contributing to their family. The group is eating more vegetables each week. According to beginning and ending data from WebNeers indicates 100% showed improvement in their variety of vegetable consumption. One group member, Nita B., stated, “I look forward to our healthy cooking class every month. It’s my favorite guest speaker, and I love to make the tasty recipes again at home with my sister.”