The McCracken County SNAP-Ed Nutrition Assistant

partnered together with Paducah Cooperative Ministry (PCM) and Feeding Kentucky Farms to Food Banks program. This promotes the consumption of fruits and vegetables for families who are serviced through PCM. Feeding Kentucky was able to supply PCM with fresh produce throughout the summer that would otherwise not be sold because of cosmetic imperfections or overproduction. 

Providing fresh produce from Feeding Kentucky was a key part in fighting hunger in McCracken County. Ninety One Percent of households served by their members purchase unhealthy but inexpensive food as a coping strategy to keep food on the table. It should come as no surprise, then, that many are also struggling with chronic health issues such as diabetes (41%) and high blood pressure (65%). The Farms to Food Banks program distributed a variety of nutritious local food to our neighbors at risk along with PCM and SNAP-Ed’s commitment to provide these resources in McCracken County. 

In August the SNAP-Ed assistant held weekly sessions of the Healthy Choices for Everybody Curriculum at PCM. There were eleven participants that were able to attend each session and sample easy to make recipes that incorporated fruits and vegetables into daily meals along with lessons that included:

·Eating Better on a Budget 

·Menu Planning 

·Keeping Foods Safe 

·Reading Labels 

·Breakfast

Afterwards participants were able to show improvements with 

·73% eating fruit more often each day

·82% ate dark green vegetables more often

·73% making small changes to be more active

·73% planned meals before shopping 

·100% less often thawing frozen food at room temperature 

One Participant stated,“she enjoyed learning how to prepare healthier foods due to her diabetes and looked forward to making the recipes at home.”