Community Kitchen

We are grateful to everyone who rounded up in September for Bloomingfoods Co-op Market Positive Change!

$10,5212.75 was raised for our hunger relief efforts!! So, thank you to Bloomingfoods and Bfoods shoppers for your support in September!

Still needed for our 10k for $10k food drive:

1. 423 cans of SPAM (or store brand equivalent) - cheapest prices are Sam's Club or store brands at Kroger, Wal-mart or Aldi
2. 287 boxes of cereal (10-14.5 oz) - Kroger has a digital coupon for $1.00 off of 2 boxes General Mills; Wal-mart has some Great Value cereals for $1.97; Millville cereals at Aldi range from $1.99-2.75
3. 410 small bread mixes - Jiffy is $.75-.89 at Kroger and $.50-.87 at Walmart; Martha White is $1.39 at Kroger and $1.38 at Wal-mart
4. 121 16oz. peanut butters - Kroger brand is $1.99; Great Value brand is $1.99 and Jif is $2.98 at Wal-mart; Peanut Delight is $1.75 at Aldi
5. 281 boxes of fruit cups - Large boxes of Mott's applesauce at Sam's are the best price point; other options can be found for $2.45 - over $3 at Kroger, Wal-mart & Aldi
6. 140 cans of vegetables (not corn & green beans): carrots, mixed vegetables, peas, etc. - $.99-1.09 at Aldi; $.87-.96 at Wal-mart; $1-1.09 at Kroger
7. 342 boxes of short pasta (elbows, penne, rotini, etc.) - $1.19-1.89 at Kroger; $1.25-2.09 at Aldi; $1.24-1.88 at Wal-mart

If you're able to help us out this week, we'd appreciate getting all the way to our goal!

Food donations can be dropped off at our main (1515 S Rogers St) location from 8am-630pm, Mon-Fri and 11am-630pm on Sat.

We've made our 10k for $10k goal on three of our ten items and are getting close on others. Our challenge has graciously been extended one more week to help us get there. If we raise 1,000 of each of ten food items we chose, we'll receive a $10,000 financial donation to match those 10,000 food items. Your food donation is multiplied!

We still need:
-146 cans of vegetables (not corn or green beans): Carrots, peas, mixed vegetables, etc.
-375 boxes of short pasta
-188 small (16oz) jars of peanut butter
-437 small bread mixes (like Jiffy or Martha Washington)
-338 boxes of cereal
-316 boxes of fruit cups
-430 cans of SPAM (or store brand equivalent)

We're 84% of the way to our goal and we know some folks have food deliveries coming. If you're able to help us out this week, we'd appreciate getting all the way to our goal!

Food donations can be dropped off at our main (1515 S Rogers St) location from 8am-630pm, Mon-Fri and 11am-630pm on Sat.

Happy Friday! We are coming up on the busiest time of year for many of us. October always disappears in the blink of an eye and Thanksgiving rapidly approaches with Christmas on its heels. It's not too soon to think about volunteering during the holidays and get yourself signed up for a shift. On Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, we have shifts from 10:30-12:30, 12:30-2:30, 2:30-4:30 and 4:30-6:30. Families can volunteer together but children must be at least 10 years old to participate. Shifts will fill up quickly, so if you want to organize a group to volunteer I suggest that you begin the conversations soon. As you talk to your family and friends about options, please consider volunteering on other days during the holiday week, rather than the holiday itself. I often have multiple spots open on a variety of shifts in the days leading up to and following the holiday, as many of our regular volunteers are traveling or hosting their own events.

I am in the office from 8:00-4:00 M-F, so if you have any questions, please call me at 812-332-0999 or by email at [email protected].

We're coming down to the wire on our 10k for $10k food drive challenge. If you're able to get and donate items this week, please join us in our challenge.

We’re on a mission to gather 1,000 of each of our 10 most-needed food items to support local youth, families and seniors across our community. To make your support go even further, a generous donor has stepped forward with a $10,000 matching gift that unlocks alongside your food donations. Every box, bag and can brings comfort, dignity and essential nourishment to a neighbor in need. Pick up a few extra items next time you shop. Drop off your donations at 1515 S Rogers St by October 3rd and share the mission with your network so we can reach 10,000 items and $10,000, together.

Here are the items we still need more of:
1. SPAM
2. Boxes of cereal
3. Small bread mixes
4. Boxes of fruit cups
5. 16oz peanut butters
6. Canned vegetables other than corn or green beans
7. Short pastas

At Kroger:
-General Mills cereals are on sale for $1.99 (with Kroger card)
-Motts applesauce cups (6 ct) are on sale for $1.79 (with Kroger card and digital coupon)
-Barilla short pasta is on sale for $1.39 (with Kroger card and digital coupon)
-Jiffy muffin mixes are $.75-$1.09

At Aldi:
-Brookdale Luncheon Meat (store brand SPAM) is $2.49
-Reggano Rotini & Penne are $1.25
-Millville cereals are $2.15-$2.75
-Happy Harvest Mixed vegetables are $1.09

At Wal-mart:
-Great Value canned vegetables are $.87-.96 each
-Short pastas are $1.24-$1.98 depending on brand
-Great Value luncheon meat (store brand SPAM) is $2.32
-Great Value fruit cups are $2.37
-Jiffy muffin mixes are $.50-.98

Help us get to our goal! Donations can be dropped of at our main location, 1515 S Rogers St, Mon-Fri 8am-630pm or on Sat 11am-630pm.

We're coming down to the wire on our 10k for $10k food drive challenge.

We’re on a mission to gather 1,000 of each of our 10 most-needed food items to support local youth, families and seniors across our community. To make your support go even further, a generous donor has stepped forward with a $10,000 matching gift that unlocks alongside your food donations. Every box, bag and can brings comfort, dignity and essential nourishment to a neighbor in need. Pick up a few extra items next time you shop. Drop off your donations at 1515 S Rogers St by October 3rd and share the mission with your network so we can reach 10,000 items and $10,000, together.

Here are the items we still need more of:

1. SPAM
2. Boxes of cereal
3. Small bread mixes
4. Boxes of fruit cups
5. 16oz peanut butters
6. Canned vegetables other than corn or green beans
7. Short pastas

Help us get to our goal!

Continuing our 10k for $10k food drive challenge, we're spotlighting one food item on each of 10 days. Today’s spotlight is peanut butter!

We make PB&J sandwiches for our children's programs a couple of times/week. And we include peanut butter in Backpack Buddies an average of once/week. During our food drive we're asking for just the smaller, 12-16oz jars of peanut butter that we include in Backpack Buddies.

Interesting peanut butter facts:
-Peanuts grow inside pods, underground, which makes then legumes and not actual nuts
-By law in the US, peanut butter must be at least 90% peanuts
-It takes about 720 peanuts to make a 16 oz jar of peanut butter
- Archibutyrophobia is the official medical term for the very specific fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth

-The average US adult eats a PB&J three times a month
-The average European eats less than 1 tbsp of peanut butter a year
-There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 35,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
-Every year Americans eat enough peanut butter to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon

-Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the USA – Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson and Georgia’s Jimmy Carter
-People living on the East Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while those on the West Coast prefer the crunchy style
-Jif is the most popular and best-selling brand of peanut butter in the US, holding the largest market share by a wide margin
-Skippy is ranked 2nd & Peter Pan, 3rd
-Jif had a mascot (Jifaroo, a blue kangaroo) in the early years

We still need 605 jars of peanut butter donated to make our goal. Donations can be dropped off at Community Kitchen at 1515 S Rogers St, Mon-Fri 8am-630pm or 11am-630pm on Sat.

Here is our 10k for $10k food drive update.

We are working to raise 1,000 of each of these food items to qualify for a matching $10,000 gift. We had a great week last week! We met our goal for one item and are getting close on a couple of others. We have one week remaining and here's where we are.

1. SPAM (or store equivalent)- 399 - Need 601
2. Canned chicken - 930 - Need 70 - almost there!
3. Meal helpers - 1104 - Goal met!!
4. Cereal boxes – 10-12.5oz - 508 - Need 492
5. Small bread mixes (around 13oz or smaller) - 395 - Need 605
6. Small peanut butters (16oz) - 269 - Need 731
7. Boxes of fruit cups - 514 - Need 486
8. Cans of diced tomatoes - 759 - Need 241
9. Canned vegetables (other than corn or green beans) - 600 - Need 400
10. Short pasta - 343 - Need 657

Here are some sales/prices if you're able to help this week:
SPAM - Brookdale luncheon meat - $2.49 at Aldi
Cereal - Monday & Tuesday only - Cap'n Crunch & Life cereal 10-13oz. $1.49 w/digital coupon at Kroger
Bread mixes - Jiffy muffin mixes - $.89-$1.09 at Kroger
Short pasta - Barilla pasta $1.39 w/digital coupon at Kroger / Reggano Rotini & Penne - $1.25 at Aldi
Boxes of fruit cups - Motts applesauce cups - $1.79 w/digital coupon at Kroger
Peanut butter - 16oz. - $1.99 at Kroger
Canned vegetables (other than corn & green beans) - peas $1 & carrots/mixed vegs $1.09 at Kroger / peas $.89 & mixed vegs $1.09 at Aldi

Donations can be dropped off at 1515 S Rogers St from 8am-630pm, Mon-Fri and 11am-630pm on Saturday.

Continuing our 10k for $10k food drive challenge, we're spotlighting one food item on each of 10 days. Today’s spotlight is canned veggies!

We use almost 100 cans of vegetables for a day's side vegetable for dinner. Since we do that each of six weekdays, that's a lot of vegetables! Corn and green beans are most often donated and often come in government commodities or through the food bank. We're hoping to bring in 600 more cans of vegetables OTHER than corn or green beans: peas, carrots, mixed vegetables, etc. in the next few weeks as part of our 10k food items to earn $10k matching funds..

Nutrition Facts
• Peak Freshness: Vegetables go straight from the farm into the can within hours, preserving most vitamins and minerals.
• Boosted Antioxidants: The high heat used during canning actually increases the availability of certain healthy antioxidants, such as lycopene in tomatoes.
• Stable Fiber: The amount of fiber in canned vegetables remains equal to fresh or cooked vegetables.
• Vitamin Trade-off: Heat-sensitive, water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C and B decrease slightly during processing, but the sealed, oxygen-free can prevents further vitamin loss over time.

Health and Safety
• Sodium Control: Rinsing canned vegetables in a colander under water can reduce the sodium content by up to 41%.
• Zero Preservatives: The commercial canning process uses high heat to eliminate harmful bacteria, meaning chemical preservatives are not needed to keep the food safe.
• Safety Record: Commercially packaged steel cans provide an airtight, tamper-resistant seal that has an exceptional safety record against foodborne illnesses.

Economy and Environment
• Cost Effective: Canned vegetables generally cost significantly less per edible cup than fresh or frozen alternatives.
• Long Shelf Life: Most canned vegetables stay fresh and safe to eat for 1 to 5 years, which helps cut down on household food waste.
• High Recycling: Steel food cans rank among the most recycled food packages in the United States.

Donations can be dropped off at Community Kitchen at 1515 S Rogers St, Mon-Fri 8am-630pm or 11am-630pm on Sat.