COVID-19...

In a short matter of time, 4-H programs as we know came to a halt. Events, clubs, and programs were cancelled in their traditional manner and 4-H Youth Development Agents began planning and preparing ways to still reach youth. With schools being closed and students at home, a strain was placed on parents and caregivers, who might also be working from home, to provide educational and fun activities for youth. 

As 4-H Youth Development Agents, we are familiar with adapting to any situation and meeting the needs of our clientele in any scenario. The 4-H Project Grab Bags, later referred to as Family Grab Bags, provided activities and supplies to youth that worked to develop skills such as independence, mastery, and creativity. Each week a different theme was given to the bag such as; Earth Day, This Little Piggy, Movin' and Groovin', etc. 

After several weeks of providing 4-H Grab Bags, the Family and Consumer Sciences agent was asked to partner on the grab bags so that we could provide materials to benefit the whole family. Hence the renaming to Family Grab Bags. Over the course of time, various agents within the office have been asked to provide educational materials that fall under their program area. 

In order to reach clientele in remote parts of the county, agents partnered with Family Resource & Youth Service Center Directors at Crofton Elementary School, Sinking Fork Elementary School, Pembroke Elementary School, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School to distribute the bags. FRYSC Directors coordinated within their schools the delivery of bags to families receiving lunches on a weekly basis. 

A partnership was also formed with the InnerCity REZ program through the Hopkinsville Community Development Division. Through this partnership eighty Family Grab Bags were delivered to residents of the four neighborhoods on a weekly basis. 

As of June 30th, 2020 one thousand fifty bags were delivered to the youth of Christian County. While this program was developed to meet a need during a time of crisis, 4-H agents have determined it to be a beneficial program that will be continued at various times throughout the program year.