Food

Food drive continues Allegany Dental Care has extended its food drive through the month of March. It will accept donations of nonperishable food items at its three locations. All food collected will be donated to the Maryland Food Bank - Western Maryland Branch (formerly Food Resources Inc.). The locations are 19418 Leitersburg Pike; 22109 Jefferson Blvd.; and 17719 Virginia Ave. The offices are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.   Easter presentation planned at church Virginia Avenue Church of God on Virginia Avenue will host an Easter presentation  of “His Story” on the following dates: Saturday, March 15, Sunday, March 16, Friday March 22, Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24. The presentations begin at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. and a nursery is provided for those ages 5 and younger.

Food donations are being accepted at Cedar Grove Christian Church, 2320 Sulphur Springs Road, Inwood, W.Va., to assist those in need. To donate nonperishable or canned goods, you may make arrangements for drop-off to the church by calling 304-229-3463. For more information, call 304-229-3463 or email cedargrovechurch@comcast.net .

After three months under new ownership, Gibble's snack products will disappear from store shelves, leaving millions of people without a household favorite that's been around since the Eisenhower administration. Gibble's potato chips and snacks have been produced in Franklin County since the late 1950s, with most of the production done at facilities off U.S. 11 south of Chambersburg.  “Gibble Foods is discontinuing the manufacturing of Gibble's snack products effective March 9, 2013.

The trend of swapping disposable grocery bags for reusable cloth and plastic-lined bags has become a popular choice. Reusable bags reduce waste but there are food safety concerns to consider.  Certain foods, such as raw produce, meat, poultry and fish might contain bacteria that cause foodborne illness. The fabric or materials in reusable grocery bags can become contaminated with germs like Salmonella or E. coli from foods or other items. These germs could then cross-contaminate other foods and nonfood items.

Washington County Public Schools is piloting food pantries at six schools to help families of those schools' students, said Teresa Thorn, the school system's development coordinator. Officials with the Western Branch of the Maryland Food Bank approached the school system with the idea last year, Thorn said. The Western Branch has been supplying food for the Micah's Backpack program, which sends participating elementary school children home with 10 pounds to 15 pounds of food a week, officials said.

The truth about healthy eating is that not all foods are created equal. When it comes to eating for fat-loss, this is especially true. One of the hidden properties of healthy eating that rarely gets much discussion in the mainstream press is the "thermic property" of foods. Yet, it is this very property which accounts for why not all foods are created equal. To sum up briefly, every individual has a resting metabolic rate. This is the rate at which your body burns calories in the absence of all other activities besides merely existing.

The Washington County Farm Bureau is asking the community to participate in Food Check-Out Week. The canned food drive will benefit local food pantries.  During the week of Feb. 17 to 23, there will be two drop-off sites for collection of canned goods.  The first location is Misty Meadow Creamery, 14325 Misty Meadow Road in the Ringgold/Smithsburg area. For every two nonperishable canned goods dropped off, donors will receive one free scoop of ice cream, compliments of the owners of Misty Meadow Creamery.

A Bunker Hill, W.Va., man faces life in prison after a jury Wednesday found him guilty of four felony counts of child abuse resulting in bodily injury, Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely said. Nathan Allen Snyder, 29, and his wife, Christina Ann Snyder, 44, were indicted in February 2010 on multiple counts of child abuse causing bodily injury. The couple was accused of depriving the children of food, shooting them with BBs and bottle rockets, beating them with a spoon and other mistreatment.

Susan Benjamin is the owner of Cool Confectionaries, a candy shop in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. She makes confections and sells historical candies. Recently, she wrote an article about aphrodisiacs. But not the stereotypical aphrodisiac - a food or drug used to stimulate sexual desire. Benjamin was talking about food as a sensual experience. "An aphrodisiac - it can have several different meanings," she said. "Aphrodisiacs enhance romantic and sexual love. When we speak of an aphrodisiac, it could be any food - anything that is really sensual or the taste is really good or the texture is really smooth.