Let’s Eat!
Oklahoma 4-H’ers find a new way to stay active during a pandemic
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ust like Christmas morning, Oklahoma 4-H members experienced the excitement of opening a package of materials they would use to prepare delicious meals. “We usually do a summer program, but with the pandemic, we had to come up with something new,” said Cathy Allen, Oklahoma 4-H curriculum specialist. “We put our heads together and came up with Food, Fun, 4-H.” Funded by a Walmart Healthy Habits grant, the Food, Fun, 4-H program was developed to bring families together to learn new skills and cook delicious meals, Allen said. In addition, the families could have fun while trying new foods and developing communications skills, she said. The program was much more successful than they had anticipated, she added. “When the program first started, we were hoping to reach 125 families,” 8 | COWBOY JOURNAL
Allen said. “We never imagined we would get 727 families involved.” During each month of the fourmonth program, 4-H members received recipes by email and cooking utensils through the mail. The recipes included step-by-step instructions with photos showing how to prepare each recipe. In the first month, participants also received a green apron with the 4-H logo that the members wore when they prepared their meals, Allen said. “We like all these new recipes!” said Hunter Haxton, McClain County 4-H member. “It’s been fun cooking them and trying something new. We had never had quiche before.” Similar to a monthly subscription program, each 4-H member received a mystery package in the mail each month, Allen said. In each package, they received two utensils used in preparing the meals
that month. Some of the tools were a rubber scraper, a zester and a rolling pin, she said. Each month’s recipe set also had a specific theme. For example, one month was Rise and Dine featuring brunch recipes, and another was a Fiesta Mexicana with Mexican dishes. Oklahoma 4-H members enrolled for the program electronically on the Oklahoma 4-H website, Allen said. After the kids received their recipes, the families gathered the ingredients to cook their meals. “I liked the fact that my brothers and I worked as a team to get the meal prepared,” said Brandon Raulie, Rogers County 4-H member. Many 4-H members already had some cooking skills, Allen said, but through this program, they gained additional skills like time management and responsibility. “My wish is to keep learning all
