According to America’s Health Rankings Report, Kentucky ranks 49^th out of 50 for senior health.  In the past four years, frequent mental distress in Kentucky Adults aged 65+ has increased 55%.  The local senior center, which was a major source of socialization for seniors, was closed due to the COVID pandemic.  As a result, the Grant County Senior Center director and the Grant County Nutrition Education Program collaborated to offer Zoom classes to reach out virtually to Grant County Seniors.  Twelve seniors participated virtually in group classes with some individual classes offered as needed.  Classes included tips for physical activity, My Plate, Know the Limits, Labels, Food Safety, Breakfast, Budget, Meal Planning, Meal Planning for 1 or 2 and Cooking is Easy. Along with the lessons, instructional videos on cooking and knife skills were included.  How to videos with budget friendly recipes were provided from University of Kentucky PlanEatMove.com and ChooseMyPlate.gov.  As part of each class, information on community resources and commodity locations was provided to the seniors.  They also picked up tips on virtual grocery shopping and how to find grocery food labels and store circulars online.  The seniors had an opportunity to engage with others, some for the only time during the week.  One client stated “It’s so nice to have someone to talk to and actually be able to see each other!”  

            As a result of the series, 83% made small changes to be active more often.  One client stated “I liked meal planning as a group so I can have new ideas for different meals.”  As a result of working on meal planning 92% ate more dark green vegetables and 75% ate more fruits and vegetables each day.