Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, public schools have transitioned to online learning, offices and businesses have closed their doors to the public, and parents began working from home. Many families are spending more time together at home than ever before. Therefore, the Powell County Extension Office used this opportunity to provide take home programming that is centered around family time. This unique type of programming was a joint effort between all program areas in the office. 

Each Extension on the Go program kit corresponded with a theme and included activities for every age. Participants could pre-register their household for the bags through Qualtrics or they could pick up to-go program kits during scheduled office hours while supplies lasted. Parents are encouraged to post pictures of their child/ren participating in the activities from each week’s bag. Some topics have included: food safety, family traditions, reducing holiday waste, keeping in touch with others, meal planning/budgeting, and family mealtime. During the extreme flooding, the extension office was able to distribute important information regarding flood relief resources and support that were available in our community. 

Since November 2020, the Extension office has distributed 350 Extension on the Go kits to families, reaching over 1000 individuals. This type of programming makes participating in Extension programming more convenient for working parents and busy individuals. We have been able to reach families and audiences that were not active in Extension programming prior to the pandemic. 

There has been an increased interest and participation in the to-go and virtual programming for busy families. We anticipate that we will be able to reach new clientele and continue our community outreach through these types of programs in the future.