Sqwertz wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:24:51 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:
>
>> No question, I'm not saying don't donate food. They wouldn't have
>> food drives if they didn't want food, and it sure wouldn't go to
>> waste.
>
> It's getting to be where every event in Austin requires or gives a
> discount for a food bank donation as part or all of the admission
> cost. Several events I've been to at the convention/event centers in
> the last 6 months have given $1/off admission for 2 cans. Admission
> to this Sunday's Austin Hot Sauce Festival is "Three healthy,
> non-perishable food donations" (or cold hard cash).

That's cool.

> And I'm fresh out of spare cans. But I get admission with my $10 hot
> sauce entry (a wing sauce) and they throw in a t-shirt, too.

I hope you win. That would be fun.

nancy

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:04:11 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
>
>> And I'm fresh out of spare cans. But I get admission with my $10 hot
>> sauce entry (a wing sauce) and they throw in a t-shirt, too.
>
> I hope you win. That would be fun.

Thanks. If I win I will give the media the recipe - something that is
never been done before.

It's going to be tough to win with a wing sauce the way they sample the
entries. They don't use chicken. They use chips and bread for the most
part. Sometimes they'll grab a small spoonful. But they don't have chicken
wings to dip, that's for sure.

-sw

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:14:23 -0500, Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> My local food shelf likes either. A lot of people get more satisfaction
> out of donating a box of something that putting money in an envelope.

I'm a lot more optimistic that food, rather then money, will be used wisely
and make it all the way. I don't want to pay administrative salaries.

And even then I've known well-off people who 'volunteer' at food banks and
brought home all sorts of food and non-food items for their own use.

> One of the biggest needs? Toilet paper.

I always thought it ironic that food stamps will buy food, but not toilet
paper.

-sw

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:53:31 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:


>I always thought it ironic that food stamps will buy food, but not toilet
>paper.

Or dish soap and plastic wrap. I think that's pretty silly. You can
buy anything you want from the frozen foods section but you can't go
to the deli and get a much healthier sandwich.

Lou

On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:11:04 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> NOW you tell me. I've been getting up at midnight and checking all
> foodstuffs for expiration dates. I toss what expired that day.

All my food gets scanned and entered into spreadsheet as soon as I unpack
it at home. Then I have a Visual Basic for Applications program that fires
off every morning VIA the Task Scheduler which interfaces to MAPI and my
SMS gateway to email and text me that items need to be removed. Then when
the items are scanned as disposed of, it tweets their removal and posts
them to my Facebook wall.

-sw

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:11:04 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> NOW you tell me. I've been getting up at midnight and checking all
>> foodstuffs for expiration dates. I toss what expired that day.
>
> All my food gets scanned and entered into spreadsheet as soon as I unpack
> it at home. Then I have a Visual Basic for Applications program that
> fires
> off every morning VIA the Task Scheduler which interfaces to MAPI and my
> SMS gateway to email and text me that items need to be removed. Then when
> the items are scanned as disposed of, it tweets their removal and posts
> them to my Facebook wall.

LOL! Good one!

(still laughing)

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:09:55 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:11:04 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> NOW you tell me. I've been getting up at midnight and checking all
>> foodstuffs for expiration dates. I toss what expired that day.
>
>All my food gets scanned and entered into spreadsheet as soon as I unpack
>it at home. Then I have a Visual Basic for Applications program that fires
>off every morning VIA the Task Scheduler which interfaces to MAPI and my
>SMS gateway to email and text me that items need to be removed. Then when
>the items are scanned as disposed of, it tweets their removal and posts
>them to my Facebook wall.

One of the magazines I mentioned to you in another post had a
refrigerator that would go online and order something you were out of.
This isn't it but it's along these lines. Over the top if you ask
me.

http://cs.nyu.edu/~jml414/ui/assign3/smart_refrig.html

Lou

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:07:25 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:

> On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:53:31 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>>I always thought it ironic that food stamps will buy food, but not toilet
>>paper.
>
> Or dish soap and plastic wrap. I think that's pretty silly. You can
> buy anything you want from the frozen foods section but you can't go
> to the deli and get a much healthier sandwich.

You can get a sandwich as long as it's cold. Of course it's probably
cheaper to just buy a couple rolls, a half pound of meat, a couple slices
of cheese, and ask for some mayo/mustard packets.

-sw

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:47:26 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:

> On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:09:55 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:11:04 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>
>>> NOW you tell me. I've been getting up at midnight and checking all
>>> foodstuffs for expiration dates. I toss what expired that day.
>>
>>All my food gets scanned and entered into spreadsheet as soon as I unpack
>>it at home. Then I have a Visual Basic for Applications program that fires
>>off every morning VIA the Task Scheduler which interfaces to MAPI and my
>>SMS gateway to email and text me that items need to be removed. Then when
>>the items are scanned as disposed of, it tweets their removal and posts
>>them to my Facebook wall.
>
> One of the magazines I mentioned to you in another post had a
> refrigerator that would go online and order something you were out of.
> This isn't it but it's along these lines. Over the top if you ask
> me.
>
> http://cs.nyu.edu/~jml414/ui/assign3/smart_refrig.html

That would be for really obsessive compulsive people who are used to having
mommy at home to cook and clean for them.

-sw

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:59:55 +0000 (UTC), Charlotte L. Blackmer wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> Dave Smith > wrote:
>>>Goomba wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Geesh who obsesses about expiration dates?
>>>> My food doesn't seem to know how to read a calendar. A jar of mayo four
>>>> months past a sell by date would be used with nary a blink.
>>>
>>>
>>>Expiry dates are the way I figure what to donate to the food bank ;-)
>>
>> At my FB, sorters and packers are instructed to pitch things past the exp
>> date. So please check with yours first and possibly save them the
>> volunteer labor.
>
> Our food bank has guidelines that say how *far* past the expiration date
> an
> item can be distributed/eaten. Like I mentioned, canned good are rated at
> 5 years past expiration.
>
> <http://www.austinfoodbank.org/partner/downloads/pantry-operations/guidelinesforperishableandnon.pdf>
>
> Interesting list. They must know Borden milk must be really nasty. I'll
> trust their judgment.
>
> -sw

>
If, by "Bordon Milk" they mean shelf -stable milk, there's nothing at all
wrong with it. It's milk. It stores (unopened) for months in the pantry,
*unrefrigerated*. It's perfect to have on hand if you're expecting a
hurricane Once opened it must be refrigerated, of course. It's not like
canned milk or powdered milk. It's milk.

http://www.diversifiedfoods.com/ShelfStableMilk.htm

Jill

On Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:09:43 -0400, jmcquown wrote:

> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> Interesting list. They must know Borden milk must be really nasty. I'll
>> trust their judgment.
>>
> If, by "Bordon Milk" they mean shelf -stable milk, there's nothing at all
> wrong with it. It's milk.

It looks like they're talking about regular milk from looking at the chart.
Did you look at the chart? It says it's stored at 40F or below.

-sw

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:09:43 -0400, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>> Interesting list. They must know Borden milk must be really nasty.
>>> I'll
>>> trust their judgment.
>>>
>> If, by "Bordon Milk" they mean shelf -stable milk, there's nothing at all
>> wrong with it. It's milk.
>
> It looks like they're talking about regular milk from looking at the
> chart.
> Did you look at the chart? It says it's stored at 40F or below.
>
> -sw

>
I looked at the chart. I don't know of any other type of "Bordon Milk"
other than shelf-stabilized, and it certainly doesn't need to be stored in
the refrigerator prior to opening.

I checked the Bordon website and apparently they also sell regular milk. I
don't see that brand in my grocery store. Regular milk obviously goes bad
if you keep it hanging around for 3 weeks

Jill

Lou Decruss wrote:
>Sqwertz wrote:
>
>>I always thought it ironic that food stamps will buy food, but not toilet
>>paper. Or dish soap and plastic wrap. I think that's pretty silly.

Tawkin' FOOD stamps... you can't eat those. Didja know that in poor
countrys the majority of the populace doesn't use TP, they're POOR
can't afford it... instead they use leaves and/or a wet schmatah. I
bet not many remember when there were no feminine sanitary products...
gals saved old bed linen torn and folded and laundered by hand in a
basin and dried on an indoor line... even the wealthiest because there
was nothing else, and not all that long ago. Most of the planet still
doesn't use TP, feminine sanitary products or disposable diapers...
they use the local creek, river, ocean.

> You can buy anything you want from the frozen foods section but you can't go
>to the deli and get a much healthier sandwich.

What do frozen foods have to do with bologna sandwiches???
Deli sandwiches cost more than twice as much as building ones own.
Deli stamps would equate with restaurant stamps. Lou is annoyed that
he can't get cocaine stamps.

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:43:32 +0000 (UTC), Charlotte L. Blackmer wrote:

> In article >,
> blake murphy > wrote:
>>On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:59:55 +0000 (UTC), Charlotte L. Blackmer wrote:
>>
>>> In article >,
>>> Dave Smith > wrote:
>>>>Goomba wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Geesh who obsesses about expiration dates?
>>>>> My food doesn't seem to know how to read a calendar. A jar of mayo four
>>>>> months past a sell by date would be used with nary a blink.
>>>>
>>>>Expiry dates are the way I figure what to donate to the food bank ;-)
>>>
>>> At my FB, sorters and packers are instructed to pitch things past the exp
>>> date. So please check with yours first and possibly save them the
>>> volunteer labor.
>
>>i'm sure there are liability issues involved (or maybe even only
>>potentially involved) that food banks don't want to mess with.
>
> Exactly why the FB tells us to pitch it.
>
> Because my phone # is published as a contact for my church, I've
> occasionally gotten calls from people about it. I always said "pitch it!"
> even before I knew what the FB actually did. I know that some food is
> ok past its published date, but it just seems mean.
>
> If I see something that is "coming up", I'll try to use it fast, whether
> for myself or the soup kitchen.
>
> Charlotte

it does seem mean (in the sense of mean-spirited) to give something that
you'd turn up your nose at yourself. on the other hand, old, stale canned
beans might be better than old, stale nothing. so i'm kinda torn.

your pal,
blake

On 8/24/2010 6:36 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
> Goomba wrote:
>>
>> Geesh who obsesses about expiration dates?
>> My food doesn't seem to know how to read a calendar. A jar of mayo
>> four months past a sell by date would be used with nary a blink.
>
>
> Expiry dates are the way I figure what to donate to the food bank ;-)

Actually that's how _stores_ figure what to donate to the food bank.
For the most part they are sell-by dates, not use-by dates.

"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> In article <r1bdo.1210$Hu7.655@hurricane>,
> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>> Is it better to give money rather than food, can they maximize
>> a dollar better than most individuals? I've often wondered.
>>
>> nancy
>
> The Minnesota Council of Churches sponsors a food drive during the month
> of March -- Minnesota FoodShare. They prefer money because they can buy
> more (wholesale) with the money than you or I can.
>
> My local food shelf likes either. A lot of people get more satisfaction
> out of donating a box of something that putting money in an envelope.
> The 'basic' list that makes up a grocery bag is on the recommendation
> of, I believe, Second Harvest -- a lot of pre-packaged stuff and
> prepared stuff (spaghettios, etc.; Jell-O). When I expressed dismay at
> that I was reminded that the bags are meant to supplement, not be the
> only thing a family might use.
>
> One of the biggest needs? Toilet paper.

I always give cat food.

On 8/25/2010 10:25 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:47:26 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:09:55 -0500, >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:11:04 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>
>>>> NOW you tell me. I've been getting up at midnight and checking all
>>>> foodstuffs for expiration dates. I toss what expired that day.
>>>
>>> All my food gets scanned and entered into spreadsheet as soon as I unpack
>>> it at home. Then I have a Visual Basic for Applications program that fires
>>> off every morning VIA the Task Scheduler which interfaces to MAPI and my
>>> SMS gateway to email and text me that items need to be removed. Then when
>>> the items are scanned as disposed of, it tweets their removal and posts
>>> them to my Facebook wall.
>>
>> One of the magazines I mentioned to you in another post had a
>> refrigerator that would go online and order something you were out of.
>> This isn't it but it's along these lines. Over the top if you ask
>> me.
>>
>> http://cs.nyu.edu/~jml414/ui/assign3/smart_refrig.html
>
> That would be for really obsessive compulsive people who are used to having
> mommy at home to cook and clean for them.

Yep. I just want a refrigerator to keep stuff cold. Anything beyond
that and increases the chance that stuff will cease to be cold at an
inopportune moment.

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:25:26 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:47:26 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:

>> One of the magazines I mentioned to you in another post had a
>> refrigerator that would go online and order something you were out of.
>> This isn't it but it's along these lines. Over the top if you ask
>> me.
>>
>> http://cs.nyu.edu/~jml414/ui/assign3/smart_refrig.html
>
>That would be for really obsessive compulsive people who are used to having
>mommy at home to cook and clean for them.

Tagging the stuff would be a total pain in the ass. I think it would
be a time looser.

Lou