When the Covid 19 pandemic led to Healthy at Home and Healthy at Work guidelines the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Assistant was not able to conduct face to face contacts with her families.  A large percentage of her caseload work was at a local factory where she conducted lessons during their lunch hour.  Most of her families have restricted phone use and only turn their phone on to accept calls at a late hour.  They are text only during the day.

Since it was vital to keep contact with her families a meeting was held with the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Agent.  From this meeting it was decided to put out weekly newsletters including two pages for the Nutrition Education Program. These newsletters were supplemented with the University of Kentucky – Healthy at Home Newsletter that provided up to date Covid 19 information.  The Nutrition Education Program also issues a Healthy Choices newsletter every two months. 

The newsletters were distributed for 12 weeks with 3900 copies being sent out during Covid 19.  This project is still ongoing.  The EFNEP Assistant also participated in the weekly FCS section of the local newspaper.  The local paper has 3300 subscribers and this was done for 4 weeks reaching 13,200 contacts. 

For a few months, FCS newsletters went to the local factory (175) and an agency where the nutrition assistant has classes delivered the newsletters with their client meals.  This client was provided with 25 Seasoned Magazines.  2400 clients were reached with this FCS newsletter and is still ongoing.

For six weeks the extension office distributed 50 grab bags focusing on gardening, per week to families.  Then an additional six weeks bags were distributed on Sizzlin’ Summer Activities.  The nutrition assistant included nutrition education through these bags also.  This project reached 600 contacts. 

The nutrition assistant met with the 4H Youth Development Agent and a local partnering agency needing youth related materials.  The agent and assistant collaborated to make (50) weekly Grab and Go Kits for youth.  These kits included My Plate Activities, taken from the USDA website, and Chop Chop Magazines for a total of 400 contacts.

Through these months were not face-to-face contacts the Nutrition Education Assistant has reached many families with the message of good nutrition and highly publicized the Nutrition Education Program.