January 6th is Bean Day! Not only are beans a delicious, plant-based source of protein, but they are also rich in vitamins and minerals, dietary fiber, and complex carbohydrates. Here's a great little chart that compares 15 different types of beans and their nutritional content. 

Anasazi beans are easy to recognize before being cooked

Lauren and her family had an

	Anasazi beans with butternut squash is divine.

excellent Christmas morning breakfast at the Inn of the Anasazi. Their specialty is, as you might guess, their anasazi beans. They were the best beans she'd ever had, but the chef wasn't giving up his secret recipe. Here's a tasty looking anasazi bean recipe that she's going to try, in her attempt to recreate that perfect pot of beans. 

Bon Appetit is a great magazine, and website, where you can find some top-notch recipes. Here's an outstanding list of 55 Bean Recipes You'll be Making All Year Long. Sounds like a pretty good way to start 2019.

We always welcome new volunteers! Here are our current opportunities:

Delivery Drivers (4:30 - 6:30pm)

• ThursdayDriver - Route 11 (S. on Cerrillos Rd.)
• Friday Driver - Route 1 (S. Rufina St.)

Kitchen Volunteers  

• Friday PM shift (1pm - 3pm)

Substitute Volunteers

• Delivery Subs M-F (4:30-6:30pm)
• Delivery Prep M-F (2pm - 3:30pm)
• Delivery Coordinators (3:30 - 5:30pm)

 

Upcoming Volunteer Orientations

 

Monday, January 7th from 11:30 - 1:00

Monday, January 21st from 11:30 - 1:00

 

Please tell people who may be interested to call Lauren at 471-7780  

For those of you new to Kitchen Angels, you might wonder what we do in case of inclement weather. If you volunteer on Friday, you recently found out! 

The staff tries to keep current on the weather so we can gauge any special steps we may need to take. If it looks like snow in the evening hours, we try to get the meals cooked early and call the drivers in early as well. In Santa Fe, a little sun goes a long way to melt the snow and we want drivers delivering meals before the roads get icy. In those situations, we send out automated calls to our drivers and clients to alert them to the change in schedule.

 

If volunteers can't get into the kitchen to cook, we have frozen meals that can be delivered in an emergency. 

 

Thanks to all of our volunteers for really stepping up and making sure those meals were cooked and delivered. Just like the Postal Service . . . "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these [angels] from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. "

Caught Doing Good...

	Thanks for a job well-done, Devon!

Devon Jackson was trying to deliver to a new client on his route. She didn't respond to his door  knock, but he heard her dog barking. After listening for some time, he recognized a call for help. Devon tried the door but it was locked. He called the client's emergency contact because he didn't want 911 first responders to break down her door. The client's son came right over, unlocked the door, and found that his mother had fallen and needed to be taken to the hospital. 

Thank you Devon, for being attentive and helping your client get the help she needed in time. Our clients really do count on us to be their "guardian angel" eyes and ears.

Who's not afraid of a little snow? These two ladies!

The last week of December was pretty exciting, with the fair amount of snow that we received. The roads were fairly icy on Wednesday, the day after Christmas, but our brave and dedicated volunteers donned their parkas, hats, and boots, and made their way to Kitchen Angels. Thanks to the hearty volunteers who made it into the kitchen to cook that day. Meals were completed ahead of time so we were able to get our drivers out on the roads before the sun went down. A BIG thanks to our courageous delivery drivers who made certain that every one of our clients was fed that night. There has been only one day in our 26-year history that we've had to close our doors because of bad weather. We're proud of that fact! We're grateful that you all show up and keep the kitchen fires burning.

Here's to a wonderful year, and all the volunteers, staff, and board members who helped make it that way! You all make this world a better place and we're happy to count you as part of our family.