As a result of the COVID-19 state of emergency, traditional school schedules and learning systems have changed over the last year. The result of this led to the loss of free and reduced school meals for numerous Kentucky children. The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Stimulus was created for children to receive from October 2020 until the end of the current school year, which will carry on through a program that is in conjunction with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a result of children being educated virtually and missing out on nutritious meals at school the Wolfe County Cooperative Extension Service, Senior Nutrition Education Assistant partnered with the Wolfe County Head Start Director to create an online seven week program called “Healthy Choices for Every Body” using private groups on Facebook and Zoom to educate parents on creating a healthy eating plan for their family. The main focus of the online program was to plan nutritious meals for the entire day, how to budget the funds from the Pandemic Benefit Stimulus, and other educational lessons.

For seven weeks, participants received a Zoom invite and engaged in lesson topics and the Senior Nutrition Assistant prepared recipes that went along with each lesson. Eight families enrolled, both male and female, and all eight had a 100% behavior change when they completed the seven week program. During the seven weeks, participants created meal plans that met every family member’s healthy eating plan, and how to budget the food benefits they received. One participant stated, “I was worried that my daughter would miss out on getting the correct nutritious meals from not attending school in person, but after participating in these lessons I can create just one meal but several throughout the day that I know will be good for her.” Another participant stated, “I never received food benefits in the past and was worried that I would not be able to purchase the right foods for my three children without overspending. I learned how to create a healthy eating plan for my family, how to plan healthy meals for them and stay within that Pandemic Benefit budget.”