Partnering with Local County Extension Offices

Hello everyone, I hope all is well. My name is Alex Sanders and I am the Grow Appalachia Garden Site Supervisor at Project Worth Outreach located in Menifee County in Northeastern Kentucky. It is getting late in the year and I thought I would share a few of thoughts about the local County Extension Offices in our region that Project Worth Outreach partners with in our Grow Appalachia Garden Program.

 
We formed an alliance with the Menifee County Extension Office in our first year with Grow Appalachia Gardening. The Menifee County Extension Office staff consist of Courtney Jenkins, County Extension for 4-H Youth Development/Agriculture and Natural Resources, Amanda Dame, County Extension for 4-H Youth Development/Family and Consumer Sciences, Alanna Carroll, County Extension Office Support Staff and Michelle Brown, EFNEP Assistant. All of these individuals have been extremely helpful in the success of the Project Worth Outreach/ Grow Appalachia Garden Program.

 
Courtney Jenkins has attended several of our Grow Appalachia participant’s meetings and offered many useful suggestions to our garden participants. She has also reviewed and made recommendations on our soil samples when they were submitted to and received from the University of Kentucky. She has requested information from UK on many questions from our gardeners. Courtney has been an asset to Project Worth Outreach and for this, we say thank you. We have recently learned that Courtney will be leaving the Menifee County Extension Office at the end of September for a position in the Magoffin County Extension Office at the end of September. We would like to say thanks for everything, Courtney and best of luck in your new position. You will be missed.

 
Amanda Dame has helped our program with many food preservation classes including, but not limited to, canning pickles, tomato juice, green beans, relish and making different jams and jellies. She has provided much information on many topics about food preservation. Thanks go out to Amanda as well as congratulations on her recent marriage to Curtis Dame and her new position in the Muhlenberg County Extension Office in western Kentucky. Best wishes and much happiness in all of your future endeavors. Thanks for all you did for Project Worth Outreach/ Grow Appalachia Garden Program.

 
Alanna Carroll has been very helpful with making sure all of our soil samples were sent off promptly and letting us know when they were ready to be picked up. She also made sure all soil sample invoices were processed promptly.
Michelle Brown has held several workshops on nutrition and diet at Project Worth Outreach. She has been willing to come and speak about any topic concerning nutrition any has provided much written information to all of our gardeners. Michelle held an excellent workshop on heart-healthy cooking this year that was so popular with myself and our gardeners written copies were requested by many. Since that workshop, many heart-healthy recipes have been provided by Michelle to our Grow Appalachia gardeners. Thanks, Michelle for all of your hard work.

 

 

We entered a partnership with the Rowan County Extension Office in 2013 when Project Worth Outreach expanded into Rowan County. The Rowan County Extension Office staff consist of Bob Marsh, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Laura A White-Brown, County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences, Janet l. Stevens, County Extension Office Support Staff and Raven C. Ford, County Extension for 4-H Youth Development . All of these individuals have been extremely helpful in the success of the Project Worth Outreach/ Grow Appalachia Garden Program.

 

 

Bob Marsh has spoken at several of our Grow Appalachia participant’s meetings. He has led lessons on garden maintenance and disease control and organic remedies, fall gardening and cold weather gardening and off season garden preparation. He has also reviewed and made recommendations on our soil samples when they were submitted to and received from the University of Kentucky. We appreciate all the assistance we have received from Bob and look forward to continuing our relationship with him and the rest of the staff at the Rowan County Extension Office.

 

 

Laura A White-Brown has been a tremendous asset for us at Project Worth Outreach. She has led a couple of our meetings and served on our experienced gardeners panel. She led meetings on heart-healthy cooking, heirloom seeds and food preservation. She answered many questions from our gardeners on these topics. Each time she spoke she had written information and a few gifts for all of the gardeners in attendance. Laura has been available almost every time I have contacted her. Thank you Laura for everything you have done for Project Worth Outreach/ Grow Appalachia Garden Program.

 

 

Janet l. Stevens is my favorite person in the Rowan County Extension Office. Jan is so pleasant and helpful. Every time I go into the office she has a contagious smile and really is sincere when she ask if she can help you. She really seems to enjoy her job and appears to be good at it. She has handled our soil samples and invoices promptly and made sure that we were completely taken care of before I left the office or hung up the phone. Thank you Jan for being so helpful and it has been a pleasure working with you.

 

 

Raven Ford and I have not had many dealings but the few we have had I feel she has been very accommodating as well as professional. Thank you Raven.

 
So you seen that awe really appreciate our partnerships with the Menifee and Rowan County Extension Offices. They have been great assets. If you do not partner with your local County Extension Office I encourage you to check them out. I hope everyone has a great week.