Sheraton Park neighbors to meet
The Sheraton Park Neighborhood/Taylor Association Watch will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Brown Building in the back of Grace Episcopal Church, 4101 S. Hazel St.
The guest speaker will be the new street department director. All Ward 2 residents are encouraged to attend to voice their concerns, according to a news release.
House of Bread to give away food
House of Bread Deliverance Church, 1501 W. Second Ave., will open its food pantry to the public Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until the food is gone.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Each participants is required to show proof of address (their driver’s license or utility bills.) If they have not filled out an intake form for 2024, they will be required to do so, according to a news release. Details: Saint Mary Harris, senior pastor, (870) 872-2196.
Federal retirees to meet
Chapter 287 of NARFE (National Association of Retired Federal Employees) will be held at 11:30 a.m. April 22 at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Services Building, 211 W. Third Ave. The guest speaker will be Mary Ann Kizer, Jefferson County Family & Consumer Services agent. She will discuss “Mind Your Diet,” according to a news release. Waymond Meins is NARFE chapter president.
City Wide Mission meets April 22
The monthly City Wide Mission meeting will be held at 1 p.m. April 22 at Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 2121 W. 26th Ave., according to a news release. Laetta Williams of True Vine E Missionary Baptist Church will be the guest speaker. The Rev. Clarence Holman is the pastor at Rose Hill.
Ole Miss names local to Who’s Who
Lauren Hord of Stuttgart is among students in the 2023-24 class of Who’s Who Among Students at the University of Mississippi. Hord is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science degree.
She was among 201 Ole Miss students who were honored with the distinction during a ceremony April 5 at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Who’s Who recognizes seniors who excel academically and demonstrate leadership and community service on and off campus, according to a news release.
Extension slates produce washing events
For small-scale farmers and backyard gardeners interested in improving their fruit and vegetable washing and handling practices, the Cooperative Extension Service will offer three free produce washing workshops in May.
Each three-hour workshop will give participants a better understanding of why produce safety is important on smaller operations, what types of wash systems are appropriate for certain crops and how to choose the correct sanitizer and use it properly. The workshops will also feature a basic wash-and-pack system that participants can recreate in their own backyards, according to a news release.
“These workshops will help to demystify some of the questions new growers may have about produce safety,” said Sarah Bakker, extension program associate for Arkansas Local, Regional and Safe Foods for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “No one wants to make people sick from the produce they grow, and we want to help those smaller growers to create systems for washing and packing that are practical, efficient and safe.”
Bakker said farmers market vendors, homesteaders wanting to serve safe produce to their families, and gardeners who share their produce with friends and neighbors are ideal participants for these workshops.
“We will have a basic wash-and-pack system set up for participants to see how easy it is to create your own ‘pack shed,’ even when you don’t have space for it,” Bakker said. “We will also be doing hands-on activities to demonstrate how to easily incorporate sanitizer into your system.”
There is no cost to participants, but they must register for each workshop at bit.ly/ar-produce-washing.
Produce Washing Workshops schedule:
May 2 — 9 a.m.-noon at the Jefferson County Extension Office in Pine Bluff
May 11 — 1 -4 p.m. at the Saline County Extension Office in Benton
May 21 — 1-4 p.m. at the Faulkner County Extension Office in Conway.
The workshops serve a different purpose and audience than the Produce Safety Grower Trainings also offered by the Cooperative Extension Service. Those trainings are targeted to commercial growers and are a requirement through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA, Produce Safety Rule.
“I have noticed increased interest in beginner vegetable gardening and small-scale farming to sell at local markets, especially since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension associate professor of food systems and food safety specialist for the Division of Agriculture. “While our programs have mostly focused on educating commercial growers to date, I am looking forward to bringing information about produce safety to this new cohort of Arkansas growers.”
Details: Sarah Bakker at sbakker@uada.edu or (501) 671-2012 or uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/crops-commercial-horticulture/horticulture/arkansas-produce-safety/.