Home demonstration work actually began in North Carolina when Dr. Jane S. McKimmon was appointed State Home Demonstration Agent in November, 1911, to organize and conduct Canning Club work with farm girls. At that time Mrs. McKimmon was doing some Womens Institute work in the state and because of her experience, she was asked to take charge of this program of farm women and girls in an entirely new venture.
The original arrangement was to engage a woman in each of the 14 counties in the state to do two months work, in which she was expected to organize farm girls into groups of clubs and teach them to grow a tenth acre plot of tomatoes and can later what the family did not eat as fresh from the plot. These pioneer agents worked on their jobs eight or more months in the year, while they received pay for only two. They furnished their own transportation, many of them purchasing a horse and buggy which cost more than their salary of $150 per year.
The program was then off to a beginning in 1912 in the following counties:
Madison
Guilford
Catawba
Wilkes
Mecklenburg
Granville
Alamance
Moore
Wake
Pitt
Edgecombe
Wayne
Hertford
Gates
Canning Clubs grew into home demonstration clubs and by 1914, 32 counties were organized. At that time two assistants were added to the state staff; one assistant with canning and the organization of clubs; the other, a food specialist who worked with the home demonstration agents, women and girls on food selections and preparation.
By 1918, the program was organized in 71 counties and 64 of these were employing full time home demonstration agents.
The state was divided into four supervisory districts in 1917 and district agents were appointed to supervise the work.
Organized home demonstration work for Negroes was begun in 1918 when emergency Negro home demonstration agents were placed in 189 counties and two cities for two months. When the emergency funds were withdrawn, hoever, only eight counties made appropriations.
Home demonstration work has grown rapidly from an organization in 14 counties in 1912 to 100 countie in 1956. In 1914, the total enrollment of women and girls was 6,595. Today we have 2,587 clubs for white and Negro women with a membership of 67,945.
When Dr. McKimmon retired in 1937, Miss Ruth Current was appointed State Home Demonstration Agent. Under her guidance and leadership, the program has continued to grow and rapid strides have been made through the years.
As the program developed, it was necessary to increase county and state personnel to meet the needs of the people. Today there are 254 home demonstration agents: 194 white and 60 Negro, and 28 people on the state staff. There are 22 white staff at N.C. State College including the state Home Demonstration Agent, the Assistant State Home Demonstration Agent, six District Agents, and 14 specialists. There are six Negro staff at A. & T. College including an Assistant State Home Demonstration Agent, three District Agents, and two specialists.
The home demonstration program includes projects in foods and nutrition, clothing, home management, house furnishings, housing, canning, frozen foods, home marketing, crafts, family relations, and home beautification. The program also includes joint projects with the men in poultry, gardening, insect control, and consumer education.
Rural women are looking at their home and community problems and asking for assistance in meeting their needs and solving their problems. These are being solved through community organization and through cooperative programs with other agencies, such as
--Health, in cooperation with the State and County Public Health Department
--Recreation, in cooperation with the State Recreation Commission
--Good Reading, in cooperation with the State Library Commission
--Music, in cooperation with the State Music Department
These last four programs are carried by voluntary leaders. In addition to these, leaders are planning and carrying other programs in their local communities to meet their needs.
Development of leadership in North Carolina has been outstanding. There are 36,983 voluntary leaders assisting with the home demonstration program.
LAWS CONCERING HOME DEMONSTRATION WORK
Home Demonstration is a division of the Cooperative Extension Service, which was provided for by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914.
The Act specifically stated that the purpose was to “aid in diffusing among the people of the United States useful and practical information on subjects relating to agriculture and home economics and to encourage the application of the same.”
It further provided that none of the funds under the Act could be used for teaching persons attending and enrolled at the college. It was to be an “extended service” from the land-grant college to the people of the State. It further provided that most of the funds available under the Act were to be matched with State and county appropriations.
The Capper-Katchum Act of 1928 and the Bankhead-Jones Act of 1935 provided funds for the further development of Extension work and in 1945 the Bankhead-Flannegan Act provided additional funds for the specific purpose of developing county Extension work.
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