Local Food

Local food pantries have been receiving fresh vegetables from inmates at the Maryland Correctional Training Center. Some of MCTC's pre-release center and minimum-security inmates have been growing and picking vegetables on a farm for the facilities in the state prison complex south of Hagerstown, with some of them going to the Washington County Hunger Group. The group then distributes them to local food pantries, said Pam Christoffel, a member of the group. On Friday, members of some of the food pantries and of the hunger group showed up at MCTC to see the garden.

Proposed rules regulating the advertising of "local" foods are published in the Maryland Register for public comment, Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance said. The regulations were drafted by MDA as part of a law signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley earlier this year that seeks to bring clarity to consumers as to what constitutes local. "With the increased interest in buying local and the current lack of agreement on defining local, we feel it is paramount that consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions about their food purchases," Hance said.

Spring is here and, with it, the growing season. If you farm or plant a garden, you have been toiling for some time now because, as you know, work starts before the temperature starts to rise. If you are a consumer (and we all are), then, I hope your favorite time of year is arriving - and that is when we can buy local food for our dinner tables. David Bennett of the Farm Press reported on a recently released survey by the Center for Food Integrity that showed an alarming number of U.S. consumers are oddly unaware of the role farmers' play in providing food to the world.

Kindergarten students from Hagerstown Children's School and their families are participating in the school's annual food drive for Food Resources, which provides for the local food banks. On Cereal Day, children could come to school in their pajamas if they brought in a box of cereal. So far, the school has collected 91 boxes of cereal and 127 cans of vegetables/fruit.

For billions of Christians around the world, Lent and meatless meals go hand in hand. But if you're not exactly hooked on fish, there is an alternative. Give it up for soup. At St. Ann Catholic Church in the north end of Hagerstown, Lenten Soup Suppers have become a Friday night tradition. They not only provide people with an opportunity to observe their meat-free Fridays, they also bolster a sense of community, said Susan Seiler. A former coordinator of the weekly meals, Seiler said the tradition began more than a decade ago as an evening of fellowship, as well as an outreach project to raise money for area shelters.

Greencastle-Antrim High School is hosting a variety of events as part of its third annual Martin Luther King Jr. service project. All spectators who attend the Jan. 20 home basketball games against James Buchanan High School will receive $1 off game admission if they bring a canned good or other nonperishable food item. These canned goods will be donated to two local food organizations: the Greencastle and St. Thomas (Pa.) food pantries, according to a news release from the high school.

An army of volunteers, mostly members of Berkeley County Mormon churches, collected an estimated 10,500 pounds of nonperishable food Saturday for a local food pantry. Dubbed “Day to Serve,” about 250 church members began the project on Sept. 22, when they placed up to 10,000 doorknob notices on residents' doors around the county asking them to place a bag of food in clear view on their front steps for pickup Saturday after 8 a.m. Volunteer members of Mormon Helping Hands picked up the food from the doorsteps and brought it to three collection points in the county, including in Inwood, Martinsburg and Marlowe.

Renfrew Institute is recruiting volunteers to help maintain their Pennsylvania German four-square garden in Waynesboro's Renfrew Park. An information session is 6 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at Renfrew Park. The rain date is Tuesday, April 17. Volunteers are needed for a variety of garden tasks. Garden work includes weeding, watering and harvesting produce, most of which will be distributed to local food outreach organizations. Garden helpers will be able to pick some produce for personal use. Volunteers will sharpen their skills under the direction of institute gardening staff.

CROP meetings, events scheduled The Washington County Council of Churches is announcing the schedule of activities to raise awareness and money to fight hunger through Church World Services/CROP and for local food banks for 2004. On Thursday at 7 p.m., an organizational meeting for all CROP recruiters will be held in Fellowship Hall of Trinity Lutheran Church, Randolph and North Potomac streets, Hagerstown. The purpose of the meeting is to provide all recruiters and interested groups with information and sponsor packets for the three upcoming CROP activities - a walk, bike hike and skate-a-thon for hunger.

For most families in Washington County, the most serious food shortage might be not having enough buns for all of the hot dogs on the barbecue grill. But for the 2,000 families served through the county's network of food banks, summer can be a tough time, because donations are traditionally down during this season. We urge the community to help fill the gap. How urgent is the need? Beth Stouffer, longtime volunteer coordinator of the food bank at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Hagerstown's West End, this week issued an appeal for help, saying the shelves there had never been as bare as they are now. At Food Resources Inc., the United Way agency that distributes bulk food to local food pantries, donations are off by 20 percent, according to Lynn Jackson, the agency's director of operations.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture will hold a buy-local expo  Tuesday, Jan. 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. The event will provide Maryland growers, producers and processors with an opportunity to connect with buyers from grocery retailers, restaurants, schools, institutions and other venues. Registration costs $40 for growers, producers, and processors. There is no fee for buyers to attend. To register or for more information, go to www.marylandsbest.net.

An army of volunteers, mostly members of Berkeley County Mormon churches, collected an estimated 10,500 pounds of nonperishable food Saturday for a local food pantry. Dubbed “Day to Serve,” about 250 church members began the project on Sept. 22, when they placed up to 10,000 doorknob notices on residents' doors around the county asking them to place a bag of food in clear view on their front steps for pickup Saturday after 8 a.m. Volunteer members of Mormon Helping Hands picked up the food from the doorsteps and brought it to three collection points in the county, including in Inwood, Martinsburg and Marlowe.

Washington County recently was awarded $63,758 in federal funding to supplement local emergency food and shelter programs. The award is based on the county's number of unemployed people, compared to the number of unemployed in all qualifying jurisdictions, according to a press release from the Washington County Local Board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program. Qualifying agencies have until Friday, Sept. 14, to submit applications for the supplemental funds. Public or private voluntary agencies interested in applying should contact Karen Calandrelle of the American Red Cross at 1131 Conrad Court in Hagerstown by calling 301-739-0717, ext. 208, or by emailing her at Karen.Calandrelle@redcross.org.

Local food pantries have been receiving fresh vegetables from inmates at the Maryland Correctional Training Center. Some of MCTC's pre-release center and minimum-security inmates have been growing and picking vegetables on a farm for the facilities in the state prison complex south of Hagerstown, with some of them going to the Washington County Hunger Group. The group then distributes them to local food pantries, said Pam Christoffel, a member of the group. On Friday, members of some of the food pantries and of the hunger group showed up at MCTC to see the garden.

The Hancock Volunteer Fire Company is hosting a benefit bingo at its fire hall on Fulton Street Sunday afternoon, Aug. 5, beginning at 2 p.m. Featured prizes are Coach and Vera Bradley handbags. Tickets are $25, and those reserved in advance will be entered in a special drawing. Bring a nonperishable food item for the local food pantry, and you will receive an extra pack of specials.  Doors open at noon for lunch and advance seating.  Support our firefighters in this important fundraiser.

Renfrew Institute is recruiting volunteers to help maintain their Pennsylvania German four-square garden in Waynesboro's Renfrew Park. An information session is 6 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at Renfrew Park. The rain date is Tuesday, April 17. Volunteers are needed for a variety of garden tasks. Garden work includes weeding, watering and harvesting produce, most of which will be distributed to local food outreach organizations. Garden helpers will be able to pick some produce for personal use. Volunteers will sharpen their skills under the direction of institute gardening staff.

For billions of Christians around the world, Lent and meatless meals go hand in hand. But if you're not exactly hooked on fish, there is an alternative. Give it up for soup. At St. Ann Catholic Church in the north end of Hagerstown, Lenten Soup Suppers have become a Friday night tradition. They not only provide people with an opportunity to observe their meat-free Fridays, they also bolster a sense of community, said Susan Seiler. A former coordinator of the weekly meals, Seiler said the tradition began more than a decade ago as an evening of fellowship, as well as an outreach project to raise money for area shelters.

Is agriculture an economic engine, a part of national defense or is it just producing food? I guess it depends on your point of view. However, I would say it is all three. How can it be, you say? First, let's look at agriculture as an economic engine. According to a report from the Pennsylvania Dairy Task Force Economic Development Committee, when a dairy farm spends money locally, it creates a multiplier effect more than two times the original dollar. In other words, for every $1 a dairy farm spends, roughly $2.50 in wages and related business transactions is contributed to the local economy.

Dr. Alissa Harris cooked up an idea, sparked by a dream, to bring locally grown foods to the needy in parts of Jefferson County, W.Va. She turned that idea into a reality when she and a group of friends started the SouperNatural Kitchen and hosted their first SouperTuesday dinner in January at the Bolivar (W.Va.) Community Center. Harris said approximately 30 tickets were sold for the inaugural event. Harris, a chiropractor, analyzes and keeps journals about her nighttime visions, said she had a dream in November in which she was pushing a cart.

While the rest of the schools in Franklin County closed on Monday to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Greencastle-Antrim High School students put King's legacy into action. G-AHS civics teacher Ellen Kirkner spearheaded a schoolwide service project to collect canned and nonperishable food for several local food pantries. “We're honoring Dr. King by contributing to a project that helps others, and that was really part of his emphasis in his life,” Kirkner said. Senior Nathan Hykes said King stood for racial equality, as well as economic equality.