Author: Bobbie Hancock
Planning Unit: Mercer County CES
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
The Mercer County NEP planned a series of 6 cooking night classes with Mercer County Intermediate School and King Middle School. These classes were streamed each Monday evening as a LIVE virtual class for students from the Mercer County Extension Office utilizing Google Classroom with assistance from Mercer County Family Resource Youth Service Program. Mercer NEP provided the recipes, handouts, and other learning materials such as measuring spoons, cups, and potholders for the students. While the NEP was demonstrating and teaching the youth followed along cooking in their homes. A MyPlate lesson was used each week as well as lessons on Hand Washing, Food Safety, Cutting Skills and Measurement. The MCFRYSC planned to provide the youth with the items to make the recipes. The Mercer County Ministerial Association had received information that they would be receiving 400 Food Boxes each week and all the families in the cooking club could receive a Food Box. The NEP was able to select recipes based on items in the Food box. For example, the food boxes included meatballs that could be used in meatball wraps, cabbage and turkey sausage links were used to make Italian Turkey Sausage/Peppers/Cabbage Jambalaya, apples used for Apple Crisp and potatoes for Potato Hash. 100% of the students stated they really enjoyed participating in the cooking club night, being in their home cooking for their families, and liked all the recipes. 90% stated they tried something new and 100% they felt more comfortable in the kitchen than before. Two families have stated because of participation in this club, they have now designated Monday as Kids Cook Night and have continued working with their children on healthy eating.
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