National Volunteer Week Celebrates N.C. Cooperative Extension of Chowan County Volunteers

Submitted by: Mary Morris, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent

The Corporation for National and Community Service reported that 77.4 million adult Americans volunteered 6.9 billion hours of service worth $167 billion in 2018. In 2018 in North Carolina, more than 2.81 million volunteers contributed 265.3 million hours of service, valued at $6.4 billion.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension relies heavily on the generosity of volunteers. In 2020 volunteers with North Carolina Cooperative Extension volunteered 432,825 hours achieving 645,229 client contacts.  Their estimated value in service was $11,006,740. In Chowan County, over 150 volunteers, both youth and adult, serve in a variety of capacities helping to extend the research-based knowledge to the community.

Our volunteers are the lifeline to our programs in Chowan County.

Volunteers spend numerous hours working on tasks, such as helping a 4-H youth with a 4-H project, leading a project to serve the community, or helping organize a county-wide farm day.

We have volunteer opportunities with Master Gardener℠ volunteers, 4-H, EFNEP, Extension Master Food Volunteers, Extension (Homemakers) Community Association, Advisory Councils, and other agriculture-related programs.

Volunteers are involved in every aspect of the Extension program, including determining the needs of the local community, planning and implementing programs to address these needs, securing resources, and evaluating programs.

The work of Extension volunteers is continuous. Every day volunteers lend a helping hand to make Extension programs more beneficial to the residents of Chowan County. To become a volunteer or to learn more, contact N.C. Cooperative Extension in Chowan County at 252-482-6585 or visit our website.

N.C. Cooperative Extension is a strategic partnership of NC State University, N.C. A&T State University, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and local governments statewide. Extension professionals in all 100 counties, and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, connect millions of North Carolinians with research-based information and technology from the universities. Educational programs specialize in agriculture, food and nutrition, 4-H youth development, community development, and the environment. Find your local center

Adapted from handbook written by: Steve McKinley, 4-H Extension Specialist, Leadership/Volunteerism, Purdue University

FAQ: Controlling Algae and Moss

Katy Shook, Area Horticulture Agent

A: If you have algae and moss growing in your yard, you probably don’t have a turf problem, you have a shade problem. Too much shade, along with compacted soils and heavy moisture tend to encourage the development of moss and algae. These same conditions discourage the growth of turf. To temporarily control algae and moss, homeowners can apply chemical products labeled for use in lawns. For more long-term results, try improving the site conditions: encourage drainage; aerate soils; follow soil sample recommendations; and prune overgrowth. Because algae and moss are not responsible for the poor turf, they can also be left as a ground cover.

For more information contact the Ask A Master Gardener℠ Volunteer Helpline at (252) 482-6585.

DIY Slime

Camaryn Byrum, 4-H Agent

• 8-ounce bottle of white school glue
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons contact saline solution (more as needed)
• Food coloring
• Sparkles/glitter

1. Add glue to a bowl.
2. Add food coloring and glitter/sparkles. Mix well with glue.
3. Add baking soda. Mix well.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of contact saline solution at a time. Continue adding until it is the perfect consistency. If you add more, it will be less sticky; if you add less, it will be stickier!
5. Now pick it up with your hands and knead it until it becomes the consistency you’d like.