Pilgrim pantry to give away food
Raven’s Nest Food Pantry at Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 2507 Hill St., will give away food March 8 from 8-9:30 a.m. or until all the food has been distributed. Food will be given away on a first come, first-served basis.
Participants must bring a picture identification. The program is a U.S. Department of Agriculture distribution site and an equal opportunity provider, according to a news release.
Local on Memphis honor roll
Sunni Jo Shelton of Altheimer was named to the Fall 2024 Honor Roll at Rhodes College in Memphis. To qualify for the honor roll, a student must be enrolled in at least 16 credits of academic work and achieve a semester grade point average of 3.85 or better, according to a news release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Veterans benefits clinic set
A Veterans Benefits Clinic, Operation Homegrown Heroes, will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 11-12 at the Stuttgart Library conference/training room in Stuttgart. The event is held to ensure veterans receive support in identifying, applying for, and securing all eligible benefits.
Veteran Service Officers will assist veterans with getting answers and benefits, according to a news release. The benefits clinic is held in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs, Assigned Veteran Service Officers, local American Legion and VFW chapters.
Small Works art includes local
The Arkansas Arts Council’s annual touring visual arts exhibition, Small Works on Paper, will open March 3 at the River Valley Arts Center in Russellville.
A local artist in the 2025 exhibition is Alexia Lams of Pine Bluff. The artwork will be on view March 3-26. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to a news release.
Small Works on Paper is a juried visual art exhibition that showcases artwork no larger than 18- by-24 inches. Now in its 38th year, the exhibition showcases artwork by Arkansas artists. Most works will be available for sale with all proceeds benefiting the artists.
This year’s exhibition features 40 pieces of artwork by 35 Arkansas artists. The exhibition will tour to nine venues statewide. Details: www.ArkansasArts.org.
Area Agency tells menu
Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas offers lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays at the senior centers. Next week’s menu includes:
March 3 — Sausage, scrambled eggs, biscuit, fruit, juice, and milk.
March 4 — Cheesy chicken and potato casserole, brussels sprouts, dinner roll, winter hot fruit, and milk.
March 5 — Taco soup, tortilla chips, salsa, lettuce salad, fruit, and milk.
March 6 — Smothered pork cutlet, pickled beets, broccoli, roll, cobbler, and milk.
March 7 — Meatballs with gravy, carrots, mashed potatoes, wheat bread, fruit cocktail, and milk.
Food safety management training set
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will host two training events in March to familiarize new food processing workers with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. The system is considered the foundational food safety system in the United States. The Division of Agriculture will present two two-day sessions. The first will take place March 12-13 at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville. The second will take place March 20-21 at the Cooperative Extension Service State Office in Little Rock.
The deadline for online registration for the Fayetteville session is March 7 and the deadline to register for the Little Rock session is March 14. The registration fee is $350 for each session. Bill Potter, extension poultry food safety and processing specialist for the Division of Agriculture, is one of several University of Arkansas experts who will deliver presentations. “This training is intended for food industry personnel who may be relatively new to the world of food safety systems,” Potter said. “Training will provide a foundation on which to build further food safety knowledge.”
Potter said the HACCP applies primarily to processing plants handling meat, poultry and other types of food. The two-day agenda is the same for both the Fayetteville and the Little Rock sessions, beginning at 9 a.m. and concluding at 4 p.m. Details: Bill Potter at bdpotter@uark.edu or (479) 575-2211.