MAY 2023

Greetings Tony,

"There dwells a subtle fragrance

Within the woods of May,

That baffles all description,

Inviting us to stay.

Aroma of the spring-time.

Of bursting buds it tells,

Of wild flowers bright unfolding

From out their tiny cells."

~Ellwood Roberts

ADO prize-winner Jeffrey David showing off his gift certificate

Folks really seemed to appreciate the BBQ meal in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week. We enjoyed food from The Ranch House and Cowgirl BBQ - both of which participated in Angels Dine Out. We also tried the BBQ from Whole Hog. The coleslaw was the perfect accompaniment to BBQ sandwiches. Thanks Karen and Joe, for taking time to prepare that slaw! We are looking forward to our next volunteer party in July. We appreciate you all!

Get your Covid tests now before insurance stops paying for them!! On May 11th, insurance will no longer pick up the bill for at-home Covid test kits. Most insurance companies pay for up to eight free test kits. It's good to have a supply around when someone in the family starts showing symptoms of illness. The cost for a box of two tests is $24, so take advantage of your insurance NOW before the opportunity disappears!

“Your program is every bit as much needed as it is truly exceptional. And, too, your portion sizes are plentiful. Your delivery people are always reliable, courteous, and cheerful! By and large, your program is good enough to induce a lot of lonely souls to cast a glance towards the Heavens and say, ‘Somebody up there must like me!’ THANK YOU.”

"I am one of KA's clients. It is a wonderful organization that is providing healthy, nutritious, and tasty meals to home bound individuals. The volunteers who deliver the food are amazing. They make sure their clients are doing well when they make their deliveries of dinner, salad, dessert, and fruit. For holidays they frequently do something special that comes out of the volunteers' wallets. There are many days when I have not seen or spoken to another individual and that smiling volunteer is the most pleasant part of the day."

"While some of their volunteers are high school/college age, most are middle age to senior citizens. They arrive when it is snowing and freezing temperatures."

"When I-25 was closed because of a stolen vehicle, I received a phone call from my 'Friday Volunteer' apologizing for not being able to deliver my dinner. Since he also had my weekend meals, he came the next morning at 9am to deliver them to me and to chat a few moments. What a caring individual."

"Since none of us know when life will take a turn we did not expect, may I suggest that you consider supporting the many restaurants and businesses that are supporting Kitchen Angels on April 20^th and throughout the year.” ~Barbara B.

With the warmer weather upon us, and gardening season in full-swing, one might be inclined to rush to the farmers market and eat lots of fresh produce. Go for it! We know how tasty those salad greens are after a winter of boxed-salad. Pure Wow has some gorgeous pictures of spring, farmers market meals to inspire! Here are 45 Spring Recipes that Call for a Trip to the Farmers Market.

If you are simply too busy with your own gardening to make it to the market, then here's a handy list of 31 Flexible May Dinner Ideas to Make with What you Have. Either way, spring is the perfect time to work fresh veggies into your diet.

May is national Salad month, and we couldn't be happier. Salads are pure joy when prepared with love and fresh ingredients. A good salad is flavorful, balanced, filling, and makes you feel like you've treated your body well. If your idea of salad is iceberg with a dollop of bottled blue cheese on top, then please read on. No offense to the classic wedge salad, but at least spruce it up like this fully-loaded wedge.

Leave it to the folks at Bon Appetit for providing us with the 20 Rules for Making the Best Salads of your Life.

Want to please your taste buds with exotic flavors? Now you can with these recipes of the 100 most popular salads in the world. It's not clear who put together this list, or during which era, but venture to say Waldorf, Frog's Eye & Haystack salads might not be so popular in the US anymore!

Those salads too funky for you? Here's a solid collection of 37 of the Best Salad Recipes from Love and Lemons. Your body thanks you.

Calling All Cooks!

Kitchen Angels volunteers are some of the best cooks in the world. Everyone knows that. And great cooks love to share their favorite recipes. So, beginning in June, we'll feature one recipe from a volunteer each month in Halo Headlines in our Kitchen Angels Recipe Box.

Send your selection to [email protected] by the 15th of the month to be considered for inclusion in the next month's Halo Headlines. Use the word "Recipe" in the subject line and tell us your name, how long you've been volunteering with Kitchen Angels, and what your volunteer job is. If it's a "borrowed" recipe, give credit.

Warmer weather has finally arrived and we no longer have excuses to sit indoors on the couch. It's time to get outside and move! Did you know that 40% of all trips in the U.S. are no more than two miles in distance? Instead of hopping in the car, why not throw on some sneakers and walk or ride your bike instead?

May 15 - 21 is Bike to Work Week! If you can only handle biking one day that week, it's Friday, May 19th. If you no longer work, then we suggest biking to your volunteer job? Kitchen Angels has a handy bike rack right out front.

If you live too far from work or Kitchen Angels to bike it in, you can always consider using the bus line to get you closer to a trail that leads where you want to go. Here's a useful map of the bicycle trails, bike-friendly roads, and bus lines in and around Santa Fe.

There are so many bike events in May to encourage you to pedal more often. The 11th Annual Santa Fe Bike Swap is Sunday, May 7th. Buy or sell used and new discounted bicycles, bike clothing and accessories. Reserve a booth or pick up your free tickets here.

Some people don't feel steady on a bike. No problem - walking is just as good for you, and it's so very accessible. Walking helps us perform better on tests of memory and attention, helps our brains build new neural connections, and improves our sleep, thinking and learning. Learn more about why you should Never Underestimate the Power of a Walk!

Thank you to Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Church for being a generous Kitchen Angels donor since 2002. The fine folks from the church invite us to their church committee meetings each year and they stay engaged in our programs.

We are very grateful for their financial and community support for the past 21 years!

Thank You...

We know we've already said it, but we're going to say it again! THANK YOU volunteers for participating in Angels Dine Out!!! It takes a lot of people to pull an event like this off.

This year we had Kate Collins with Edible magazine, who helped get a lot of new and returning restaurants on board. It's all about who you know, and Kate knows a LOT of restauranteurs. She got people to commit, then chased down those contracts . . . which is no easy feat!

We also had a team of volunteers hang posters and deliver stickers to participating restaurants. Thanks Jennie, Juli, Phyllis #1 & Phyllis #2 for running around town for us! A little advertising goes a long way to filling up the restaurants on event day.

Speaking of event day, the true success of this event lies in the capable hands of our volunteer ambassadors. We didn't know if it could be done, but over one hundred of you said, "YES" to being spokes-people for Kitchen Angels. We had long-time volunteers like Judy Costlow, who has been an ambassador at Andiamo! for most of the 20 years they've participated! We had new volunteers like Sally & Brian Schroeder and Nancy Fay who have never volunteered at KA before, but stepped up just for the event. We had 33 volunteers who are new to our organization, jump right in and sign up. Some volunteers like Vicki Clark and Mimi Woodbridge signed up to go to any restaurant. Lauren shuffled them around up until the day before the event just to make sure all restaurant shifts were covered. Michael Stone, Martha Romero, and Mimi Woodbridge each did several shifts - thank you!! Hooray for the spouses, neighbors, and friends who were roped into participating. Thanks to each and every one of you for your efforts!

We can't forget to thank our team of money counters who swoop in the day after the event and count all of the donation envelopes! Andrew, Jon, Jim, Linda, Karen, Dan, Stuart, and Doug - Thank you for counting the three "C's": cash, checks & credit card charges.

We hope everyone had a good time and please give yourselves a hearty pat on the back for jobs well done. Our clients will continue to enjoy home-delivered meals thanks to your hard work.