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Written on: November 30th, 2011 in Helping Our Neighbors
Today is the last day of National Pancreatic Awareness Month, but I hope it we’ll work on raising awareness all year round. As I look back at November, I want to thank all of the advocates – the family members, patients, and survivors – for sharing their stories.
I also want to share mine.
I lost one of my best friends and one of the finest people I ever knew to pancreatic cancer. She died almost eight years ago.
Mary and I were college classmates. She grew up in Pottstown, Pennsylvania and was the second of five children. Her family was very close; they were people of faith and of energy. They loved each other and the community loved them.
After college, Mary’s career developed from news-writing for the evening news in Philadelphia to working in the helping fields, culminating in her position as head of the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children in New York. The Commission is part of the International Rescue Committee.
In this role, Mary traveled frequently to some of the most difficult places on earth to advocate and fight for women and children refugees. Mary was truly one of the nicest people I have ever known, but she was also tough as nails when it came to fighting for others.
I think of Mary often and I miss her a lot. She continues to be a great inspiration to me.
According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer death in the United States. In 2011, an estimated 44,030 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and approximately 37,660 passed away from the disease.
Please take a moment to learn more about pancreatic cancer, get in touch with the Delaware Chapter of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, or sign up to volunteer.
Written on: November 19th, 2011 in Guest Posts
We love delicious local, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving meals, so we asked the head of Delaware’s Division of Public Health, Dr.Karyl Rattay, to provide some tips on food safety for the holidays. You might also enjoy our previous post on local, fresh Thanksgiving options.
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Guest Post from Dr. Karyl Rattay: I am especially thankful for the time spent with family and friends during the holidays. Like many Delawareans, I often travel with my family to share Thanksgiving dinner with relatives and bring some dishes to pass.
Good nutrition, food safety, and preventing illness are as important during the holidays as the rest of the year. For our meal, I find that fruit salad is a refreshing, healthful dish that travels well. When transporting a dish, it’s important that cold foods stay cold, and hot foods stay hot. I make sure that we have plenty of ice packs in our cooler for the ride.
When cooking at home, I like to use several cutting boards and different knives for bread, fruit and vegetables and meat and poultry. This is a system that helps assure that bacteria from one food do not get passed to another. Glass or plastic cutting boards are a good choice since those surfaces do not absorb liquids from foods, which can spread illness.
I’m also a fan of sterilizing utensils, cutting boards and other cooking items in the dishwasher. It really is the best way to clean these items and prevent food-borne illness.
We all want our loved ones to stay healthy and happy as we share special times. Unfortunately, health professionals have recognized a link between people gathering for the holidays and an increase in influenza and other respiratory illnesses. That’s why it’s important to get a flu shot and continue practicing preventive measures like hand washing, using hand sanitizer, and covering coughs and sneezes, at home and while visiting.
Our staff at the Division of Public Health’s Food Protection Program offer these additional tips for preparing the holiday turkey.
Plan your menu before the holiday:
How to thaw:
Cooking:
Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey preferably in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. A whole turkey is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout the bird. Leftovers:
Written on: November 16th, 2011 in Guest Posts, Recognizing State Employees
Guest Post from Delaware Secretary of State Jeff Bullock:
I see the creativity of Delaware’s state employees in the workplace on a daily basis. Outside of the workplace, our employees pursue a variety of creative interests from singing in choirs to participating in community theatre to taking photographs of Delaware’s beautiful landscapes.
The key ingredients for success in the arts – inspiration, creativity, and hard work – are traits that are beneficial in the workplace.
The Delaware Division of the Arts is organizing a new exhibition with support from the National Arts Program to showcase and celebrate the talents of the visual artists among our fellow state employees and their families.
The Division of the Arts is hosting the first-ever employee art exhibition in January 2012. This opportunity is designed for state employee artists (and members of their immediate families) at all skill levels. The deadline to register and submit entries is coming up on December 9, so please help us spread the word!
Artwork in a variety of medium categories — including painting, work on paper, photography, sculpture, craft, and mixed media — can be entered. Participation is open to state employees and their children. Artwork will be judged by professional Delaware artists and visual art professionals in Amateur, Intermediate, Professional and Youth classifications, with seven prizes to be awarded.
There will be a public exhibition in the Mezzanine Gallery from January 6-27, 2012 in the Carvel Building. A reception and Awards Ceremony will be held January 6 from 5-8 PM in the Gallery and Mezzanine Auditorium.
The exhibition is organized in partnership with The National Arts Program which includes 89 exhibition venues in 42 states and provides the money for the awards.
Don’t miss this chance to show your creativity and talent! For more information about the program or to register, click here. Or visit the Delaware Division of the Arts at www.artsdel.org
Written on: November 5th, 2011 in Agriculture, Guest Posts
Since the weather is getting cool and the holiday season is upon us, we asked Anne Fitzgerald, the Public Information Officer at the Department of Agriculture, to share her plans for feeding her family with Delaware’s incredible offering of local food. WARNING: if you’re hungry, you might not want to read this… If you’re not hungry, you probably will be by the time you finish it.
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Buying local doesn’t end with the close of Farmers’ Market Season
Guest Post from Anne Fitzgerald, Dept of Agriculture: It’s November and I am making plans to shop, shop, shop for local food and other items. First on my list is what Greatmamma called Thanksgiving’s “groaning board” feast – turkey time for my family. I have reserved a yummy, all natural, tender turkey from TA Farms in Wyoming that will feed about 20 hungry people and provide leftovers for the week after – love that turkey salad and turkey soup.
It will be picked up on Tuesday and roasted on Thursday (Thanksgiving morning) – nothing better than a freshly roasted turkey with homemade stuffing and giblet gravy. I use my grandmother Mommoo’s recipe for stuffing that is rich with sage, pork sausage and sometimes apples, which means shopping for local sausage, such as Kirby & Holloway or Milton or Haass sausage, and local apples from Fifer’s, T. S. Smith’s, and others.
For the appetizers and sides, I have checked the Delaware availability chart and perused this year’s Farm Market Directory for on-farm markets that carry in-season vegetables and fruits into November, e.g., greens (turnip / collard / kale / spinach), Brussel sprouts, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, turnips, leaf lettuce, mushrooms, parsley, and pumpkin – all prepared in loving fashion from tried and true family recipes.
I can also use the Delaware Fresh App to find these products while I am out and about. If time catches up with me, as alas, it often does, I will choose frozen and canned items in our grocery stores from local processors that contract with Delaware farmers and provide jobs in Delaware, i.e., Hanover, PictSweet, and Vlasic.
Remember, I said feast, not diet, and so on to the desserts! I am torn between pumpkin pudding and Sap’s pumpkin rice pudding – one is mine and the other is made by our local entrepreneur, John Sapienza. I think I will have both.
Of course, no feast is complete without ice cream, especially that made in Delaware. Ice cream fanciers can buy local by looking for Woodside Creamery, Hopkins Creamery, University of Delaware Creamery, and Hypoint Dairy brands at markets or in ice cream shops across the state. I have tried them all and they are the best. I am sure family and friends will bring pies, but just in case they don’t, shop your local on-farm markets for that wonderful home made taste.
Let’s not forget the beverages, Delaware pressed cider, local brews and wines from our growing number of breweries and vineyards will complement the most sumptuous meal.
Most importantly, Thanksgiving is not just about food, it is about family, friends, and sharing. Hope you enjoy.
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