Demonstration shows Junior Auxiliary’s G.E.M.S. importance of clean hands

The Junior Auxiliary of St. Francis County G.E.M.S. recently participated in a food safety program with the St. Francis County Extension Service.

G.E.M.S. is an acronym for Girls Empowered by Mentoring Sisters, and is for young girls throughout the area.

Marla Lane, a program assistant with the St. Francis County Extension Service’s Expanded Food Nutrition Extension Program, visited with the girls at the Campbell House Monday evening to review food safety and nutritious snacks that could easily be made after school.

Lane shared with the girls the importance of washing their hands before dealing with food and practicing good hygiene while preparing food. She also showed them different food safety practices.

Lane performed an experiment with several members with baby powder, towelettes and hand sanitizer to show the importance of washing their hands correctly before handling food.

"Now, who knows how long you are supposed to wash your hands?" Lane asked the girls.

"For 20 seconds," said JA G.E.M.S. member McKenzie Homewood.

"Correct," said Lane before asking three members to help perform the experiment.

“This powder is going to represent germs. We'll use a UV light to see which method of cleaning our hands is best,” she said.

The three members,

Homewood, Autumn Alsup and Chloe Thomas, used different methods of cleaning their hands after covering them with baby powder. Homewood washed her hands for 20 seconds, Alsup used hand sanitizer and Thomas used a moist towelette.

“As you can see, there is a difference," said Lane, who used a UV light on each of the girl's hands. The powder reacted differently on Alsup's and Thomas’s hands while Homewood’s hands were nearly germ free.

“You can see how important it is to wash your hands before handling food," said Lane. “If you do not have access to running water and soap, then yes, use hand sanitizer.”

Lane then made a peanut butter and syrup sandwich for the group, and while preparing the sandwich, she coughed in her hands and scratched her head and nose.

“Who wants to try the sandwich?" asked Lane, to which all of the girls responded, “No.”

"Now, you can also see how such things can make food

unappetizing too,” she pointed out.

Lane shared with the girls a recipe for Ricotta cheese and sandwich meat wraps before handing out string cheese and lunchmeat for members to make a snack, after washing their hands, of course.

“This is something that is quick and easy that can be made after school," said Lane.

She also gave members bags containing a pen, composition book and hand sanitizer, as well as giving them a program folder with food safety information to hang on their refrigerator.

The EFNEP program aims to empower individuals, families and youth with limited resources to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavior changes necessary to maintain nutritionally sound diets and increase physical activity, according to Lane.

The program is free and available for any resident or group in St. Francis County by calling the Extension Service at 870-261-1730.