Community Health & Wellness Corner
Kaitlyn Peine
Community Health & Wellness Agent
It’s hard to believe 2023 is just around the corner. The new year brings an opportunity to reflect on our successes and make plans for the upcoming months. In this article I will be sharing several program announcements and dates. I hope you will consider marking your calendar and joining us. I encourage you to invite your friends and family who may benefit from our programs. Current Extension users helping spread the word about what we do is our most effective marketing tool.
In addition to announcing our upcoming programs, I also wanted to share that we are actively seeking applications for a SNAP-Ed educator position. Mackenzie Keen has moved to a position with a community partner. Makenzie leaving us creates a vacancy in one of our educator positions. The position is 40 hours a week and offers competitive benefits including health insurance and retirement. Our team also offers
the opportunity to work remotely for up to 40% weekly. Additional information about this position can be found at: https://www.douglas.k-state.edu/about/join-our-team/join-our-team.html.
Master Food Volunteer Training- NEW!
We are excited to offer training for a new class of Master Food Volunteers. Our Master Food Volunteer organization is seeking new members who are passionate about food and nutrition and giving back to our community. Onboarding for new members includes 40 hours of training in a hybrid format, half of the material will be provided through in-person labs and the remaining 20 hours will be online. All in-person meetings and labs will be held at the Douglas County Extension Office. The first in-person lab will be hosted on March 28. The class fee is $75. For more information about becoming a Master Food Volunteer visit https://www.douglas.k-state.edu/health-nutrition/masterfood-volunteers.html.
Food Preservation Workshop
Are you interested in learning more about how to safely preserve food at home? On April 6,from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. we will be hosting a food preservation workshop at the Douglas County Extension Office. The class will be taught by Extension specialist, Karen Blakeslee and will share research-based water bath and pressure canning practices. The workshop will be a hands-on learning experience for adults. The workshop fee is $40 and space is limited. Information about registration will be shared on our Facebook page (@KSRE.DouglasCounty) and at www.douglas.ksu.edu in the spring.
Spring Kitchen Sale
Mark your calendars! Our annual kitchen sale is returning and will be hosted on Saturday, April 22 in the Flory Meeting Hall located at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. The kitchen sale is an opportunity to donate gently used kitchen equipment, utensils, and dinnerware. It’s time to clean out your kitchen and rehome items you no longer use. We will gather donated items Thursday, April 20 and Friday, April 21 at the Flory Meeting Hall. The sale will be open to the public from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, April 22. Be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page (@KSRE.DouglasCounty) and at www.douglas.ksu.edu for additional opportunities to drop off donated kitchen items.
During the sale bundles of smaller items and all other kitchen equipment will be available for $1 each. We will be working with our community partners to advertise the sale to limited income individuals and families. The kitchen sale will be open to the public. All are welcome to shop.
