Grant County KY has an Adult obesity rate of 35.6% and a physical activity rate of 30.2%. The Grant County Family and Consumer Sciences, Nutrition Education Program, Master Food Volunteers, and Williamstown Kiwanis Club collaborated to offer a series of nutrition classes targeting those with mental health issues in Grant County.  

The Grant County Extension Service worked in partnership with North Key, a community organization that provides mental health, substance use, behavioral and developmental disabilities services.  The goal was to assist their clientele with life skills such as cooking skills, increasing physical activity, and improving diet quality.   

Participants traveled to the Grant County Extension Office over the course of several months and learned about nutrition while working together to prepare meals.  Participants gained knowledge on Food Safety, My Plate, Planning Meals, Budgeting, Reading Labels, Limiting Fats, Sodium and Sugar and the importance of eating breakfast.  

As a result of the program, 100% reported cooking dinner at home more often, 100% showed improvement in behavioral food change, and 80% made small changes to become more active.   

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.”