The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults eat at least 2 to 3 cups per day of vegetables  as part of a healthy eating pattern.  Data taken from CDC’s 2018 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables states, only 6.3% of Kentucky adults meet the daily vegetable intake recommendation.  

With fruit and vegetable consumption being extremely low, the Wayne County Extension office decided to start a Victory Garden for a local adult daycare that serves 25-30 physically challenged adults daily. 

With Covid 19 restrictions and not being able to have direct contact with the at-risk clients the Expanded Food Nutrition Education and Agriculture Assistants decided to finish and utilize the raised bed that had been started at the extension office.    These assistants worked together to plan, plant, irrigate, and care for the raised bed at the local extension office as a Victory Garden to supply vegetables for this facility.   

Fresh vegetables were given to the clients of Horizon Adult Daycare from the first week of July through September 2020. During this time, fresh produce was delivered to Horizon Adult Day Care by the EFNEP Assistant:

75 pounds of cucumbers, 14 pounds of snap green beans, 50 pounds of squash, 50 pounds of tomatoes, 50 pounds of grape tomatoes, 25 pounds of green bell peppers, 50 pounds of sweet banana peppers and 8 dozen ears of corn.     The clients at the daycare quickly began to recognize the extension van and would yell "here comes the vegetables.'   

Because of the over abundance of vegetables, the local soup kitchen (House of Blessings) received fresh produce from this raised bed. Fresh vegetables were supplied and used in meal preparation. On a daily basis, over 600 meals are provided to the community.

The produce that they received included: 

100 pounds of cucumbers, 50 pounds of squash, 50 pounds of tomatoes, 50 pounds of grape tomatoes, 25 pounds of green bell peppers, 50 pounds of sweet banana peppers, 35 pounds of eggplant, and 20 dozen ears of corn.