Grant County KY has an Adult obesity rate of 35.6% and a physical activity rate of 30.2%. The Grant County Nutrition Education Program, Family and Consumer Sciences, Master Food Volunteers, Williamstown Kiwanis Club and North Key Community Care collaborated to offer a series of classes using the Healthy Choices Curriculum.  North Key provides mental health, substance use, behavioral and developmental disabilities services.  The goal was to assist their clients with life skills such as cooking skills, increasing exercise and improving diet quality.  

            The Master Food volunteers and the members of the Williamstown Kiwanis Club assisted with the North Key clients to visit the Grant County Extension Office and learn about nutrition while working together to prepare meals.  Participants learned about Food Safety, My Plate, Planning Meals, Budgeting, Reading Labels, Limiting Fats, Sodium and Sugar and the importance of eating breakfast.  Some of the participants were limited mobility, non-verbal, had behavioral or developmental limitations.  

            As a result of the program, 100% cooked dinner at home, with some assistance, more often than before the program.  Also, 80% made small changes to become more active.  The clients also had a 100% improvement in behavioral food change.  According to North Key staff, the group always looked forward to visiting the Extension office and getting a chance to cook together.   One of the client’s parents stated that after one session, “we had to go to the store that night to get the recipe ingredients so he could show us how to make the pot pie recipe.”