Kitchen Angels   |    1222 Siler Road  Santa Fe, NM  87507   |    505.471.7780
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DECEMBER 2019
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Thank you for your on-going dedication and support of Kitchen Angels and the community of Santa Fe.

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VOLUNTEER
MILESTONE
ANNIVERSARIES

1 Year
Amy Rose
Angela Welford
Darrin Abby
Glenn Conroy
John Karris
Mimi Woodbridge

 5 Years
Kathleen Parks-Yoast
Sally Walkiewicz
Leslie Veditz
 
20 Years

Pam Egan
Richard Arens
 
20 Years 
Sylvia Palmer 

IN MEMORIAM


Celebrating the lives of our volunteers and clients


Adelaida V.
Elspeth Bobbs
 

 
Love awoke one winter's night 
And wander'd through the snowbound land, 
And calling to beasts and birds 
Bid them his message understand.

And from the forest all wild things 
That crept or flew obeyed love's call, 
And learned from him the golden words 
Of brotherhood for one and all. 

Author Unknown

AnnouncementsAnnouncements
Gifts are piling up, ready to be wrapped.

The Spirit of Giving is nearly here, and there's still time  to donate! From now until Friday, December 6th we are accepting gift donations for our homebound clients. Here's a list of items that we are short on:
You can call Dollar Tree and order larger quantities from them directly.

If you are attending the gift-wrapping on Saturday, December 7th, you are welcome (and encouraged) to bring your own wrapping paper roll and labelled scissors. We have supplies, but it always helps to have more!

And thank you to all who have donated to this project. Clients tell us every year how much they appreciate receiving the gifts.

Here's a quick link for  a paper snowflake maker. December 27th is "Make a Paper Snowflake Day." After the chaos of present opening has settled, it's the perfect time to enjoy the simple pleasures of paper and scissors. 

Making paper snowflakes can be an especially fun project if you have children around during the holidays.

Bag Alert!!!

We are sending out more meals than ever before, which means we need more and more grocery bags. 

Please help!.  When you go grocery shopping, ask for a paper bag.  They cost just 10 cents and you can bring us your saved bags. It's a small gesture that goes a long way.

Delivery drivers, you can help too.  Please ask each of your clients if they have any  bags to return to Kitchen Angels. Just pop then in your car and bring them back the next time you're here for a shift. Most bags can be reused at least five times before they start looking shabby. Just keep bringing them back to us. The ones we can't use go directly into the recycling.

If any of you have borrowed a green or orange thermal tote bag to transport your hot entrees, remember to return them. Our visiting volunteers and substitutes rely on these bags and we need to ensure we have a good supply on hand.

While we're on the topic of bags, a huge shout of thanks goes out to Tim and Susan Kilkenny who secure grocery bag donations from various supermarkets in Santa Fe. They go out every other month (and sometimes more often if we run out) and ask the store managers to donate bags. This has been a tremendous help and has saved Kitchen Angels thousands of dollars. You guys are the BEST!
Tasty TidbitsTastyTidbits

In addition to being Lauren's birthday, December 18th is also Bake Cookies Day ! Cookies are the perfect little dessert goodie. They are portioned to avoid gluttony (if you eat just one), handy as a grab-and-go snack, and simply fabulous any time of year. What's even better is that they make great gifts for the holidays. Here's a nifty list of 85 Easy Christmas Cookies to Bake for your Holiday Gatherings . You don't want to be caught empty handed on Christmas eve, so get baking!

Have you heard? There is a Monday volunteer who makes some of the best cookies we've ever eaten. Magdalena Colton has mastered the art of high altitude cookie baking! Staff and volunteers agree that her ginger cookies are to die for! They are the perfect blend of crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. She has been kind enough to share the recipe with us, complete with high altitude adjustments. We've posted this recipe before, but it's worth a repeat. This recipe is truly a gem. Thanks to Magdalena for generously sharing her treasure with her Kitchen Angels community!
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteerOpportunities 

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

Delivery Drivers (4:30 - 6:30pm)
  • Monday Driver, Route 18 (Agua Fria)
  • Tuesday Driver, Route 17 (Sawmill Dr.)
  • Thursday Driver, Route 19 (south capitol)
  • Friday Driver, Route 19 (south capitol)

Delivery Room Preparation (2:00 - 3:30 pm) 

  • Thursdays - need one volunteer
  • Fridays - need two volunteers

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, December 2nd from 11:30 - 1:00

Monday, December 16th from 11:30 - 1:00

 

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

 
Continuing Education   ContinuingEducation   
 
Nutrition Tips for Cancer Caregivers 
 
Caregivers play a vital role in helping cancer patients face the daily challenges of their diagnosis. While everyone's needs may vary, caregivers are often asked to assist a patient with their meals. This help comes in many forms, from preparing a single dish to grocery shopping. No matter what you're asked to do, it's important to make healthy, educated decisions that can effectively deliver the key nutrients a patient requires. But how do you know what to look for when reviewing a recipe or walking through the grocery store? While most good nutrition habits are universal, there are a few things to keep in mind when cooking or shopping for a cancer patient. Click here for this podcast with Dana-Farber senior nutritionist Stacy Kennedy MPH, RD/LDN, CSO, who offers suggestions for   caregivers.

Up and Coming Food Trends

As we near the end of the year, marketing specialists at Amazon and Whole foods are working overtime to predict the next food trends to get in line with for the coming year. A whole team of buyers, culinary experts, and "local foragers" (people who source food from their local community) have come together to put forth this list of food trends for 2020. Take a look and see what you think!


Kitchen Reminders...
Don't forget to seal the meal!

Joe wants to remind the kitchen crews of a few details. When portioning food, please try to be  consistent. We are filling the side vegetable trays nearly to the top. We don't want to skimp on those veggies! If you don't know how to portion the protein, please ask Joe. There's nothing sadder that a meal of too little food.

While we are using the black recyclable meal containers, you will need to take more time to seal them. First, wipe down the rim of the containers to ensure they are free of food particles or sauce. Second, remember that the sealing machine needs a full 10 seconds before the seal is sufficiently adhered. Take your time - we don't want the food to spill out during delivery.

Thanks team!
Community Connections...   Connections 

Last year Kitchen Angels welcomed 785 volunteers through our doors. Over half of those
Cindy & Neil Lyon (left) of Sotheby's have volunteered at Kitchen Angels on Thanksgiving for the past 8 years!
volunteers were regular "active volunteers" who participate throughout the year, every year. The other 266 were visiting volunteers. Friends, neighbors, and individuals short on time came in and helped out once or twice during the year. We also had groups pass through. We work with businesses, agencies, and other nonprofits when they want to participate in a team-building volunteer day.

Some of these visiting groups also make financial contributions, which helps keeps Kitchen Angels running. If you know of a group, agency or organization that would like to sponsor a holiday, please let us know. It only costs $1,500 to underwrite the cost of  one special day for all of our clients. We don't yet have sponsors for Christmas Eve, the first night of Hanukkah, or New Year's Eve. Groups can also sponsor a portion of the meal, such as dessert or salads for a particular day. We let all of our clients know who is sponsoring their meal for that day. 

Please contact Dwayne Trujillo if your group would like to participate, either with volunteering or financial sponsorship. Thank you!
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! Thanks 

A great, big round of applause going out to all of the volunteers who made Thanksgiving special for our homebound clients. As is the tradition, Sotheby's International Realty dedicated many hours in the kitchen and with delivery during the entire Thanksgiving week. Not only that, but they donate financially as well. We love seeing the same faces year after year. In total, they contributed 80 hours of service on Thanksgiving week. We couldn't have done it without them!

We are grateful for the steady crew of delivery drivers and kitchen volunteers who made room for all of the visitors in November. We know it's challenging to share the space with so many newcomers, but you guys made them feel welcome. Joe was grateful for the assistance in showing them the ropes.


The good people at Academy for the Love of Learning!
 
Thanks to the folks from Academy for the Love of Learning
who volunteered with us in November. The group came in and made Kitchen Angels spiced pecans and Jefe Joe's spice rubs. The products were created, packaged, and ready to go on the shelves in KITCHENALITY , and all within a two-hour shift. The group was friendly and hard working. We really count on our visiting groups to crank out these special products for us. It's a great fundraiser and people love our signature products.  
 
 
Elspeth Bobbs, who was a great friend to Kitchen Angels, passed away just before Thanksgiving. She was 99.
 
We're friends of Mrs. Bobbs! 
Over the years she hosted many events in support of our program and opened her beautiful garden, La Querencia, as the setting for afternoon tea as part of our Adventures a la Carte series. Our clients also benefitted directly from her prolific vegetable garden. From early crops, all through the growing season, and well into fall, Elspeth sent hundreds of pounds of organic vegetables to Kitchen Angels to feed our homebound clients. Elspeth was a truly original and caring member of our community. The many good works she promoted will continue to live as a testimony to the power of good will and determination.
 
Thank you, Elspeth. You will forever be an angel among Kitchen Angels.
 
 
Volunteer Appreciation Banquet 
 
Board and staff hosted 180 volunteers at the Eldorado Hotel, November 9, 2019, for a sit-down  dinner celebrating our 15, 20 and 25 year volunteers.  Staff members presented the awards and guests were treated to a special video presentation created by Thom Eberhardt and Christie Vasquez.  
 
Two of the three Kitchen Angels founders, Tony D'Agsostino and  Anna Huserik Stillmaker, spoke about the exciting and challenging early days of Kitchen Angels and the extraordinary impact they knew the simple act of providing meals and personal contact to homebound individuals can have. 
 
It was a wonderful evening that showcased some of Santa Fe's most amazing volunteers!
 
Kitchen Angels | 505-471-7780 | info@kitchenangels.org | http://www.kitchenangels.org
1222 Siler Road
Santa Fe, NM 87507