The Nicholas County Extension Office has incorporated many virtual options and pick-up kits into our outreach programming efforts. During the last week of October our office offered The Great Pumpkin Carving Contest pick-up kit incorporating aspects of 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources as well as Family and Consumer Sciences. Families signed up in advance to receive their package with everything they needed to create two pumpkin recipes, a STEM pumpkin catapult project and their very own pumpkin to carve for the pumpkin carving contest. Also included in the kit were Plate it Up! Kentucky Proud fall recipes, pumpkin growing and nutrition facts and other pumpkin themed activities. 17 youth from 12 families participated in this event. At the end of the program a Qualtrics survey was used to survey participants and the results were as follows:

97% tried a new recipe featuring pumpkin as an ingredient 

100% increased their knowledge of the nutritional value of pumpkins

84% of families reported working together to complete at least one project in the kit