With the COVID-19 pandemic having effectively shut down the school district in Lewis County to in- person classes, concerns arose over students receiving healthy meals during this time period.  The school district made a decision to distribute healthy lunch and breakfast meals to all students in the county during the closure of the schools.  This monumental effort required a significant amount of logistical work to ensure its success.  

The SNAP-Ed Program Assistant for the Lewis County Cooperative Extension saw this as an opportunity to not only be of service to the school system – already a community partner – but also to ensure families were receiving nutritional- based messages and information from the Nutrition Education Program (NEP).  The SNAP-Ed Assistant began aiding in the prep, packaging and distribution of these meals during this time period (March – May 2020).   Each day that meals were distributed, NEP nutritional information-either a recipe, nutritional newsletter or fact sheet accompanied each meal.

Throughout the duration of this program, the SNAP-Ed Program Assistant delivered 6,777 meals in partnership with the school district to students.  Each of these meals contained NEP information directed at helping families maintain a healthy lifestyle.  One parent contacted a local school thanking them for the additional information and how they loved the new recipe ideas.  Times may have been unusual during this pandemic, but thanks to some wonderful partnerships, the message of the Nutritional Education Program (NEP) in KY was still distributed – all while helping feed the youth in Lewis County.