Spring 2020 Extension programming was suddenly required to shift from face-to-face contact with clientele to other platforms due to COVID-19 pandemic.  University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service supported by endless efforts from FCS and many other teams quickly provided educational and relevant information to share with our clientele. Healthy at Home, Kids Club and Seasoned Newsletters were some of the many resources provided to hundreds of school youth and community for weeks and months to help endure the pandemic. Leslie County Extension made significant changes to the way in which we connected with our community. While we have embraced the technology that allows us to connect with people using the internet, we recognized that not all of our Extension program clientele had the capability or the desire to use technology every day in their homes.  As an office team, we strived to keep our current clientele connected to our programming efforts while continuing to reach out to new Extension users. 

 Implementing the Bag to Go programs has made it possible to keep our community connected and involved in learning a variety of topics. Thirty-four educational topics and over 1,480 have been reached during our Pandemic Bag to Go crusade. Our office used the team approach to providing the very best to our community by creatively brainstorming educational topics and relevant materials for each bag to go!   These programs were made up of information and activity packets that represent all of our program areas: Agriculture/Natural Resources, Family & Consumer Science, and 4-H Youth Development. Plate it UP Kentucky Proud recipe cards, bookmarks and meal planning were provided in each program bag along with UK Extension NEP Healthy Choices for Everybody newsletters supporting needed education for health and wellness.  Each program included many specialty items and activity/lesson components for youth, adults, and families to do together while they were being “healthy at home”. 

 Social media, videos and other technology provided a much needed avenue while bag to go programs kept traditional educational practices going in ways that make people feel comfortable, creative, and connected.