4-H & Youth Development
Kids & Kows & More Production
Agent: Jeremy Peaches
Held November 16, 2018, at McFee Elementary School, Kids & Kows & More is one of the best visual classroom enrichment field trips and close up learning experiences for students to learn about their local food and fiber commodities.
The goal is to help students and adults learn, understand, and appreciate where their food/fiber comes from, not just that they purchase them at the store. Students learn in a highly visual and technological way, how the items are produced and how they arrive at the store for our consumption. Approximately 1,000 students were educated.
The Path to the Plate program is an unbiased examination of agriculture, the food we eat, and the connection to our health. It delivers research-based information via a variety of methods. Our goal is to educate consumers so they can make informed decisions when it comes to agriculture and their health.
A report on Food Insecurity in Houston and Harris County by Texas Children Hospital found that Food Insecurity is prevalent locally and across the State of Texas. According to Feeding America, 15.7% of Texans are estimated to be food insecure. There are an estimated 724,750 food insecure individuals in Harris County with a food insecurity rate of 16.6%. Among children in Harris County, the food insecurity rate is 23.6%.
Additionally, about 16% of Greater Houston area residents do not have access to fruits and vegetables, according to a survey by the University of Texas Public Health.
The 4-H & Youth Development booth included pots, seeds, and guides to take home to educate. The parents had the opportunity to sign up to get more information about 4-H and attendees were able to receive 4-H supplies for the upcoming school year.
The response and turnout were phenomenal. The number of attendees included 1,000 plus youth and 41 volunteers. Numerous pictures and surveys were taken, thank you letters were written from the entire school, and the children who received supplies asked questions about positive nutritional health information.
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