I think it is safe to say we are all experiencing things we have never faced before. So, how are you doing? I bet everyone is asking you a similar question these days. When I am asked that question, I say things like, “I will be glad when this is over,” or “This is crazy, but we will get through it,” or “I’m fine.” In my head I am thinking, I am not doing fine at all – this is not okay. Like everyone else, I am staying home for those who might not fare so well if they were to be infected with COVID-19. Then I remind myself, I am doing this for the greater good! But it is stressful! Our response to the situation we are in has been so quick, we have had no time to process what has happened to our very ordinary lives.
Many of us are trying to work from home and manage our families at the same time. Parents and caregivers are now home school teachers for the children in their homes. We are all trying to help each other understand what is going on in our world and how we can adapt to what we are all calling our “new normal.”
Businesses in town are having the same struggles. Finding the new routine and rhythm they need to meet the needs of the community and still provide those services while keeping everyone safe is a challenge. North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, is no different. We are working hard to find new ways to connect to our clients and continue to give the research-based information we are known to provide. We know that many in our community do not have internet capabilities to get information from the World Wide Web. It is challenging for some, and others may be afraid to try new things. As Christopher Robin said to Winnie the Pooh, “You’re braver than you believe, stronger that you seem, and smarter than you think.”
You can embrace these new challenges and master them to keep informed and in touch with the things and people that are important in your life. Robeson County Cooperative Extension is committed to staying in touch! We will continue to broaden our scope of how we provide information as well as continue to provide the hands-on approaches you need. We are very interested in knowing what information you need from us and how you want to receive that information. We will be reaching out in a variety of ways to get feedback. Please don’t hesitate to let us know what you need from Extension. We will continue to add to and update the ways you can get information from us.
Currently, you can find us on Facebook with live segments, entitled “Digging in with Extension,” that highlight gardening information using our raised beds as the demonstration areas. You may have tuned in to see the daily “egg-citing” embryology segments by 4-H over the past month. New ideas for youth programming are being generated as quickly as possible and information will be available in the near future. The research many farmers depend on in our county for making planting decisions is continuing, and you can look forward to new and different ways of see those results very soon.
Follow us on Facebook at North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center. You can also check our website. for informative articles, links to resources and information, and (once we can gather again safely) upcoming events. For more information, contact Christy Strickland, County Extension Director, at (910) 671-3276, by email at Christy_Strickland@ncsu.edu, or visit our website.
NC State University and N.C. A&T State University are collectively committed to positive action to secure equal opportunity and prohibit discrimination and harassment regardless of age, color, disability, family and marital status, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. NC State, N.C. A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
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