The poverty rate in Washington County is 14.4%, in Washington County over 170 people are living in poverty.  These individuals lack the financial resources for a minimum standard of living.  Especially during Covid, clientele had even more limited access to nutrition information, nutritious food, and how to grow your own vegetables.

The Horticulture Agent and the Snap Ed Program Assistant developed the Spring Garden Grab and Go Program.  Topics included growing potatoes, onions, lettuce, and broccoli.  Each participant received information on how to grow the vegetable, nutritional information, and recipes.  Video demonstrations were also uploaded to the Washington County Nutrition Education Facebook page.  Each participant received onion sets, seed potatoes, a grow bag, lettuce seeds, and broccoli plants.

There were 81 Garden Grab and Go kits picked up at the Washington County Extension Office. In a follow up verbal survey 78% of participants reported successfully growing, harvesting, and eating at least one type of vegetable from the program.  67% stated they will continue growing produce in the future.