In 2008, a devastating car accident left Princie Mikel, a retired nurse and grandmother in Duval County, “tore up from the floor up,” as she put it. After the crash, she had two broken hands, seven broken ribs, a crushed sternum, a skull fracture and other injuries that left her in a rehabilitation facility for more than two years.
While in rehab, the former nurse found herself on the other side of health care, relearning how to do everyday tasks such as balancing, eating and caring for herself. Her time in rehab left her missing community, purpose and new opportunities to grow. She didn’t realize it when she walked in the door, but the Duval County Extension office would become the place she found all three.
After seeing an invitation for Books & Cooks, she called her local Extension office about a mix-up in her registration and connected with Samara Purvis. Let’s just say exactly what happened is still up for debate, but whatever happened, it was quickly settled and Princie, and her granddaughter were at went to the Extension office just off Commonwealth Ave. Books & Cooks, a partnership between UF/IFAS Extension and UF’s Lastinger Center, is a multi-session family program that combines childhood literacy, cooking, nutrition, and parenting education. Families receive nutrition-themed books, fresh fruits and vegetables, and materials designed to help build stronger, healthier and reading-focused lives together.
They may never agree on the details of that first mix-up, but they do agree on what came next: a relationship that both now describe as “best friends.”
For Mikel and her granddaughter, Zurie, the program helped strengthen the bond between grandmother and granddaughter. With structured lessons to share, she could help Zurie build early skills in counting, measuring and healthy eating — lessons that are useful at any age. And they could do it while having fun and getting dinner on the table.
She quickly found Samara to be a strong ally for seniors —a group that is sometimes relegated to the sidelines.
“I have a special heart for the senior community,” said Purvis “So having Miss Princie and her family come into my life through my Extension workshops has been amazing.”
Mikel said, “She’s my Samara, but I thought my fellow seniors at Schell Sweet also needed her in their lives too.” With that support, Purvis has now expanded the programming she offers at this Jacksonville community resource center.
Mickel believes that she and her fellow seniors are learning to heal themselves through Extension. She said, “Food is medicine, you know, and it’s a big part of the healing process, especially for those of us with old wounds.” The Extension programs she’s participated in have “helped her and healed her,” helping her learn how to pick out healthier items at the grocery store, grow some of those ingredients herself and cook more nutritious meals.
But healing happens in many ways. She also spoke about the mental health benefits of participating in Extension programming and how it has become a sanctuary for seniors in her community, where she has seen people grow through Extension.
The books and chef hat for her granddaughter may have been what brought Mikel to Duval County Extension, but her relationship with Purvis, who she said was a “gift from God,” the friendships she’s gained and the experiences she shared with her granddaughter are what keep her coming back.
If you’d like to find healing and community and are in Duval County, reach out to UF/IFAS Extension Duval County today!
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