Emergency food boxes play a critical role in fighting hunger, but many recipients face a common challenge: not knowing how to use unfamiliar ingredients or how to turn them into meals. In 2019, the Oregon State University Extension Service’s Supplemental Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed) conducted a Healthy Pantry Survey that confirmed the need for more accessible meal planning support — specifically, kits that include both ingredients and simple recipes.
Just Scratch It! supports food security, nutrition, and shared family mealtimes — one recipe at a time.
In response, OSU Extension in Wallowa County partnered with the Enterprise Food Bank and Wallowa Food Bank to create Just Scratch It! meal kits. Each kit includes shelf-stable ingredients and a tested recipe from Food Hero, OSU Extension SNAP-Ed’s statewide initiative that promotes low-cost, easy-to-make, healthy meals.
Food Hero is a statewide initiative of OSU Extension SNAP-Ed. All the recipes are tested according to criteria such as overall flavor, color and texture. Food Hero meals are low-cost and feature easy-to-find ingredients, easy-to-follow instructions and minimal preparation time.
Extension staff selected recipes based on foods most commonly available at local food pantries. Just Scratch It! recipes included Easy Skillet Chili, One-Pan Spaghetti, Stovetop Tuna Casserole, and Tasty Hamburger Skillet — all of which share ingredients like pasta, beans, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, canned corn or other vegetables, shelf-stable milk, and canned tuna. When available, pantries supplemented the kits with fresh items such as onions, carrots, or ground beef.
At the Wallowa Food Bank, Extension staff assembled more than 120 meal kits, each providing enough ingredients for a family to prepare a hearty, nutritious meal. In total, the kits delivered approximately 480 meals to local households.
The approach was well received — not only by food bank partners but also by families, who gained both ingredients and the know-how to prepare a complete meal. The Just Scratch It! concept has since been adopted by SNAP-Ed units in other Oregon counties, expanding its reach and impact.
By helping families turn pantry staples into practical meals, Just Scratch It! supports food security, nutrition, and shared family mealtimes — one recipe at a time.