What’s special about our Michigan State University Extension colleagues? When they see a need, they work together across institutes and across disciplines to get that need met.
It all began when the Salvation Army in Lenawee County distributed whole, frozen chickens and turkeys that had been donated from the 4-H fair sale to people who needed them. Janelle Stewart, Lenawee County Extension 4-H educator in the Children and Youth Institute, noticed that the recipients of the poultry needed instruction in thawing and preparing them. Janelle contacted health and nutrition Extension educator and food safety team member Jeannie Nichols about producing an educational fact sheet on poultry preparation that could be distributed at the Salvation Army food bank.
Health and Nutrition Institute food safety team members agreed that creating the fact sheet would be a worthwhile project that would meet a need in the Lenawee County community and in others. Jeannie and Extension educator Joyce McGarry developed a document that focused not only on chicken and turkey but on duck, goose and other game birds as well.
Other food safety team members, Extension educators Lisa Treiber and Beth Waitrovich, reviewed the fact sheet and sent it to ANR Communications for editing.
“How to Handle Poultry and Tips on Cutting Up a Whole Bird” resulted from the desire to help others, the creativity and vision to see multiple possibilities, and the willingness to work across institutes and disciplines. Find the fact sheet in the Safe Food & Water area of the Food and Health section of the MSU Extension Web site. You may have your own use for the fact sheet in your community.
