Boneyville Baptist is a predominantly African American church located in the outskirts of Stanford.  Many of the members are faithful participants to programs provided by the Extension Office.  Lunch and Learn, which is now one of the Lincoln County Extension Office’s most popular programs held monthly by the FCS agent, Rita, had its beginnings with some of the core members of Boneyville.  The congregation is also welcoming and kind every year, when the office, along with staff from Kentucky State University hold an informational outreach meeting there. It was through this meeting however, that it became clear many of the church members were missing out on opportunities for programming because they were not able to travel as easily to the extension office. In order to be more accessible for some of the people in the Boneyville community who are elderly or may have limited transportation, a Healthy Choices for Every Body program was held in the fellowship hall of the church.  This turned out to be a great program which brought together some of the ladies who don’t usually get to come to other events in town because it was in a centralized location very close to where all of them live. 

Improvements have been shown in diet quality, physical activity and food safety since the class began. 88% (7 of 8) of participants showed improvement in one or more diet quality indicators such as eating more fresh produce, drinking less sugary drinks and cooking dinner more often at home. Additionally, 100% (8 of 8) of the participants showed improvement in one or more physical activity behaviors.  This is a great victory since many of the ladies are elderly, and staying active is so important to maintaining mobility as you age! 75% (6 of 8) of participants showed improvement in one or more food safety practices, particularly with using a meat thermometer.  These were given as incentive items and the ladies were very happy to receive them and start using them, even though most of them were already experienced cooks. Many of the ladies from this class have already signed up for another upcoming program!