With the holiday season approaching, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is reminding residents that the AnswerLine is standing by to help with everything from cooking and food safety to household troubleshooting.
The AnswerLine began as part of a graduate thesis by Mary Jo Williams, who also became its first operator. 50 years later, the mission to give families immediate, research-based and unbiased answers to everyday home and family questions remains unchanged.
During a segment of the Mid-Day Report as aired on KLMJ, Butler County Extension Program Coordinator Leslie Milius says many people don’t realize just how long the service has been available.
“The AnswerLine actually, if you haven’t heard about it or anything like that, it’s been actually around for more than 50 years. And it provides information and resources for Iowans and even those residents in Minnesota and Wisconsin can also use the service to answer home and family questions.”
The service is staffed by trained home economists and consumer and family scientists on the Iowa State University campus.
“There are ladies and consumer and family scientists who are on the Iowa State campus and they answer questions on the AnswerLine, anywhere from cleaning questions, consumer management, food preservation, food preparation, food safety, household equipment, nutrition, and even laundry.”
The AnswerLine is funded by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the University of Minnesota Extension and South Dakota State University Extension. While most callers come from those states, operators take questions from anywhere in the country.
Phone lines are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. July and August are typically its busiest months, along with the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
Iowans can call the AnswerLine toll-free at 1-800-262-3804. Callers outside the state can dial 515-296-5883. Questions can also be emailed to answer@iastate.edu.
