The N.C. Cooperative Extension offices in Beaufort and Hyde counties recently welcomed Washington native Renee Harvey as its new family and consumer science agent.

The position that has not been filled since around 2009, according to Rod Gurganus, Beaufort County Extension director. Harvey will work out of the Beaufort County office but is available to Hyde County residents served by the extension agency’s office.

Gurganus said both offices receive questions related to food safety such as handling meats, as well as food preservation such as canning techniques. With the area being predominantly rural, many residents have gardens and fruit trees. Answering questions related to canning, a food preservation tradition that has resurged in recent years is a part of what Harvey will be responsible for, according to Gurganus.

“We’re just happy to have her working with us now,” Gurganus said. “She brings a lot to the table because she already lives in the area, and she can plug in and hit the ground running in terms of the job she does and the programs she’ll host. Just having that position filled here and working with Hyde County, it’s just a great thing. There is a tremendous need for that kind of knowledge and work in our county, especially the rural parts.”

Harvey, a graduate of Washington High School and East Carolina University, holds a bachelor’s degree in public health studies and a master’s degree in health education. She has worked for Pitt County Health Department and Vidant Medical Center. She most recently worked for the North Carolina Public Health Foundation as Beaufort County’s coordinator for healthy eating and active living.

Harvey said she wants to impact the residents of Beaufort and Hyde counties by hosting programs and giving guidance to decrease obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. She said she’d like to narrow her efforts particularly to smaller areas outside of Washington, such as Belhaven, Pantego and especially Aurora, which lacks fresh food sources.

In the near future, Harvey and the extension agency will host programs on canning and food safety, she said.

“I’m very, very excited to be here in Beaufort County, where I was raised, to really make an impact on the county’s residents,” Harvey said. “I’m looking forward to the new opportunities and seeing those obesity rates drop in the long run. I’m ready to meet with the community.”

For any questions related to foods and nutrition, call Renee Harvey, family and consumer science agent with the Beaufort and Hyde Cooperative Extension, at 252-946-0111 or email at renee_harvey@ncsu.edu.