Challenge statement: Operation COVID Easter Kentucky was developed by Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agents in the Easter Kentucky Region. The operation consisted of a series of innovative programs across 12 counties in the region in order to help families and communities become more resilient, informed, better decision making skills, and encourage positivity throughout the COVID-19 disaster that will hopefully come to a close soon. 

Program goals/objectives: To provide new and innovative ways of programing to reach audience in crisis, to promote physical and mental health during a pandemic, to provide education to clients in area to improve their resilience in crisis, and to provide opportunities for better decision making. 

Target audience: The target audience for Operation COVID Eastern Kentucky was families and individuals in the Eastern Kentucky. 

Program Description

Content: Program topics included nutrition/food safety, child development/parenting, personal/family finance, aging, sewing/heritage skills, mental health, general wellness, leadership development (including Extension Volunteers and Master Clothing Volunteers), art enrichment agriculture/cooking exploration, family time, gardening, and food preservation. All programs were taught to not only educate individuals on a set of skills, but were taught from the perspective of how these skills could be implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emphasis was put on financial, mental health, wellness, nutrition, and family programing to address concerns of the COVID pandemic. 

 Delivery methods, creativity, quality materials developed, innovative: Multiple delivery methods were used in order to complete Operation COVID Eastern Kentucky possible. Delivery methods included the following: 

1. Facebook pages, groups, messaging, rooms, live videos, posts, etc. 
2. Grab-n-go programs, materials were provided for an extension program for contactless pick up at local extension offices. Clients would then complete a program at home by following provided instructions or be led by an agent using a video or zoom meeting. 
3. Traditional in person (limited capacity) programs
4.  Zoom meetings, videos, etc. 
5.  Google Classroom
6. Radio
7. Podcast
8. TV
9. Farmer’s Markets
10. Mail Outs
11. Newsletters
12. School Lunch Deliveries

Accommodations were also made in program delivery in order to provide better inclusivity for all. These efforts included captions on videos, extra pictures on directions, taking programs to underserved areas, mailing out to those who could not leave home or had limited access to transportation, videos with instructions on using new forms of technology (such as zoom, Google classroom, etc.), and more utilization of social media for program to reach a new audience. 

In total 84 programs were delivered in a way that was new and innovative for the agents across the 12 counties of the region. 

 Extension program leadership: Volunteers and community partners were instrumental in conducting programming. Volunteers helped to make cloth face coverings/mask, hospital/isolation gowns for local health care facilities. Furthermore, extension volunteers provided support and participated in programs throughout the region. 

Program impact

Accomplishments/evaluation methods/tool, results/impacts, marketing, and publicity/visibility:

Follow up surveys collected through online surveys and paper surveys across the 12 counties indicated a major positive impact. Families and individuals indicated that they had gain skills in one or more areas that were topics of education. More food preservation and gardening was done this past year after these programs then in many years past. A majority of individuals felt like skills that they gained through extension programming could help them cope with the current COVID crisis. Goals and objectives were clearly met for this program. Marketing was completed though social media, paper, TV, podcast, flyers, and newsletters. 

Below is a breakdown of some of the major impacts:

Number of New/Virtual Programs: 84
 Number of Counties: 12

Number of Indirect Individuals reached:
 Indirect Contacts for Nutrition/Food Safety: 45,340
 Indirect Contacts for Child Development/Parenting: 14, 345
 Indirect Contacts for Aging: 950
 Indirect Contacts for Sewing/Heritage Skills: 4,744
 Indirect Contacts for Personal/Family Finance: 7,643
 Indirect Contacts for Mental Health and General Wellness: 8,702
 Other: 250 

Total number of those indirectly reached: 81,974 People

Number of Direct Individuals reached:
 Direct Contacts for Nutrition/Food Safety: 3,597
 Direct Contacts for Child Development/Parenting: 133
 Direct Contacts for Aging: 1065
 Direct Contacts for Sewing/Heritage Skills: 1610
 Direct Contacts for Personal/Family Finance: 240
 Direct Contacts for Mental Health and General Wellness: 825
 Direct Contacts for Leadership Development: 172
 Direct Contacts for Addiction Recovery: 155

Total number of those directly reached: 7,797

Walking/Running Challenges: 6 total
 Number of those who walked: 48 individuals/teams
 Number of miles walked: about 2,000 miles 

Number of Hospital/Isolation Gowns Made: 493
 Number of Volunteers who made gowns: 48
 Hours spent making gowns: 918 hours

Number of Cloth Face Coverings/Masks: 16,753
 Number of Volunteer who made Cloth Face Coverings/Masks: 137
 Number of Hours making Cloth Face Coverings/Masks: about 2,440 hours

Role of community partners: Program partners were a go to source for what was needed in the county and for help in implementing programs. Partners included, 12 Health Departments, Primary Plus, 5 4-H Agents, 5 Agriculture and Natural Resource Agents, 12 School Districts, Libraries, FRYSC, Master Clothing Volunteers, Kentucky Cancer Program, Community Kitchens, and Extension Homemakers. 

Future program implications: Programing to address the needs of families and how to deal with the COVID crisis will continue in the near further. As COVID counties on the downward trend programing will continue with a shifted focus on “what now” focusing on dealing with the changes that will come after we phase back into life before COVID. This includes financial, mental health, wellness, nutrition, leadership, and family programming.