50^th Annual Earth Day Celebrated in Kenton County

During the COVID19 pandemic it has become necessary for extension offices to be resourceful and creative when it comes to program delivery.  Traditionally Kenton County offers a seed giveaway and  youth programs at the local libraries centered around the Earth Day celebration. For 2020 we chose to do two Brown Bag Programs.  Our first program began in late March with Seed Grab Bags placed outside of both Extension buildings.  In addition to vegetable and flower seeds each of the 200 bags included the Nutrition Education Program’s handouts for starting vegetable gardens.  All 200 bags included 15 to 20 packets of seeds and information on seed starting. We received a lot of positive feedback from our clients and for the first time we gave away all the seeds we are considering the grab bag program for upcoming years. Work began to determine how to deliver a youth centered Earth Day program. Concurrently, in mid-April Kenton County Ag Agent was contacted by a local grower who had grown spring bulbs for an event that had been cancelled and they were looking for opportunities to distribute them in the community.  We collaborated with this grower and with our local Kroger store for bags and supplies.  The forced bulbs along with, seed packets, everything needed for a window sill garden, coloring sheets about Earth Day, and information on how to be good stewards of natural resources were placed in the bags.  In our program drive thru we distributed over 160 bags at both buildings.  We continue to receive compliments about the Earth Day program in a bag.  A major outcome of these programs is how suitable social media like Facebook can be when it comes to marketing programs of the Extension service.