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Heather Cook slices bright cherry tomatoes then places the halves into a glass bowl in her kitchen in Barboursville.

On a Friday in July, she鈥檚 preparing what she calls an 鈥渆asy caprese鈥� salad. Next, it鈥檚 time to add cheese.

Though she鈥檚 alone in her kitchen, kids and adults around West Virginia are watching her step-by-step cooking demonstration via Facebook live. The virtual cooking class, offered through programming, aims to teach kids and families how to grow and cook their own food in an effort to boost nutrition and affordability.

Cook, 35, said into her iPhone, held by a tripod, 鈥淢ost of us love cheese, right? You can use cheese sticks.鈥�

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced WVU Extension to offer its Family Nutrition Program classes exclusively online in 2020, health educators started reaching kids and families they鈥檇 previously never seen in person in the 40 counties they serve. In turn, they created a full-time online instructor position this year in an effort to combat the state鈥檚 childhood nutrition insecurity.

鈥淎 lot of parents work and can鈥檛 make it, or we鈥檝e also seen a lot of parents who don鈥檛 have transportation,鈥� said Cook, who stepped into the new virtual instructor position after nearly 10 years with WVU Extension. 鈥淒oing the virtual classes, it opened up a good opportunity for them to participate.

One in seven children in West Virginia don鈥檛 have access to enough food as food bank employees say hunger is worsening in the state.

Cook, who grew up in Southern West Virginia, said she knew firsthand how difficult it can be for families to access affordable produce due to the declining number of grocery stores in the mostly rural state and state鈥檚 poverty rate.

鈥淚 see a lot of people who are struggling to feed their families,鈥� she said.

Nutrition insecurity expanding in West Virginia

In the last few years, West Virginia鈥檚 food banks have reported increased hunger numbers due to pandemic-spurred job loss, pandemic-related benefits ending and rising food prices.

Kristin McCartney is a public health specialist and the director of the SNAP education programs with WVU Extension.

鈥淓ven though we think of a select group of people being food insecure, it鈥檚 really expanded,鈥� she said, adding that their internal surveys of families show that more families who don鈥檛 qualify for emergency food assistance are struggling to have enough food for their families.

Food bank employees have anticipated more food needs this year as the state will this fall for some adults receiving SNAP benefits. In West Virginia, nearly of households receiving SNAP benefits have children, and anti-hunger advocates said thousands of SNAP recipients could lose their benefits due to the work requirement.

The WVU Extension Family Nutrition Program work is supported by SNAP funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.

While the program still offers in-person nutrition education, its virtual programming has enabled employees to reach all 55 counties and offer programs to a wider range of ages. The program has a , which features healthy recipes, food safety tips, food preservation instruction, shopping tips and more. It has more than 69,000 views.

In her virtual cooking classes, Cook tries to select recipes that kids can do with minimal adult help or with ingredients that they have on hand. She regularly helps kids find ingredient substitutions.

鈥淭he classes are geared toward younger kids making healthy snacks, like a snack mix or a smoothie where you put all the materials in a Ziploc bag and use a straw or a spoon,鈥� she explained.

Along with classes like Cook鈥檚, WVU Extension this summer is offering in-person nutrition classes and a kids鈥� market program where nearly 4,000 families are eligible for $30 to $60 to spend on fresh produce at local grocery stores.

There鈥檚 also a 鈥淕row This鈥� program that offers free seeds and gardening instruction to residents. Last year, 73,000 people participated in the program, according to WVU Extension.

One of Cook鈥檚 virtual classes focuses on helping kids and families learn how to garden. Families who signed up for the course received compostable 鈥済row bags鈥� 鈥� a shopping bag that is suited for growing 鈥� along with seeds for microgreens, kale, mini bell peppers and purple carrots. The grow bag idea came out of employees鈥� realization that some participating families didn鈥檛 have yard space for a garden.

During an online Zoom meeting, Cook taught participants how to shred notebook paper to create a compost layer and how to properly water their plants.

鈥淚 love this program because we are trying to go back to how our grandparents did things and trying to be able to provide for yourself,鈥� Cook said after the class. 鈥淚 love that we are able to teach them to grow their own food and how to make healthy choices.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: [email protected]. Follow West Virginia Watch on and .

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