Don’t Throw It Out! Renewing and Reusing

Don ’ t throw It out!

RENEWING AND REUSING

BY LISA S.T. DOSS

The kitchen is the gathering place for family, the social center for party guests and night-owls. Supporting all that activity are whirring and spinning gadgets, appliances producing heat and the ability to freeze. Totaling the financial investment of every kitchen tool, it’s not cost-effective to toss every inoperable machine into the landfill. Fortunately, DIY information offers step-by-step procedures to resolve the frustrating issues of blinking lights, beeps, or an automatic shutdown. The following information may help you get optimal life and performance out of each valued appliance and tool! bowl on the lower rack and wash without detergent on a regular cycle. The acid will act as a cleansing agent and improve the outcome of your dishes!

COFFEEMAKERS: If you have hard water, mineral deposits are likely accomplices to gum up an automatic coffeemaker. Try a new cleaning system. Fill the tank halfway with distilled, white vinegar; then, fill to the top with water. Give the coffeemaker time, a half-cycle, to clean; then, turn it off, and allow 30 minutes to sit. Return the pot’s liquid back into the tank, and run; then, start again using clean water.

DISHWASHERS: After a cycle, you may notice pieces of food encrusted on a plate or bowl. One solution is to check the temperature. Use a thermometer to measure the hot water coming out of your kitchen faucet. The ideal temperature is 120 degrees. If cooler, you may need to adjust the water heater (and warn the family!). A second solution is to pour two cups of white, distilled vinegar into a GARBAGE DISPOSALS: Disgusted by the smell of your sink? Then toss in a few ice cubes, orange rinds, turn on the cold water, and run the disposal.

Each unit comes with an L-shaped wrench. Use the tool on the bottom bolt, underneath the sink, to move the blades back and forth, shifting to dislodge food. Afterward, turn on the disposal to hear a purring sound; otherwise, wait five minutes for the motor to cool, push the reset button, and turn on.

TOASTERS: You can resolve the inconsistency of toast browning only on one side. The constant use without cleaning the interior walls causes heat to reflect back and unevenly. After unplugging the small appliance, turn the toaster upside down to remove the screws in the base holding the sides together. Remove the knobs and container. Begin to clean the interior shell with a sponge, slightly damp, with a spot of liquid dishwashing soap. Add baking soda and use a toothbrush to scrub if you need to remove difficult stains. Rinse with water and dry thoroughly. Wait a few hours before reassembling parts. SCISSORS: Kitchen shears, like knives, require sharpening with a coarse stone to maintain sharpness. Lubrication helps. Consider using water or oil. Open the scissors and allow one of the blades to rub against the stone perpendicular to the beveled edge. It’s vital to angle one blade towards the bevel, ensuring the entire blade sweeps across the stone two or three times. Sharpen both blades; then, open and close, and wipe clean with a cloth before storing.

BUTCHER BLOCK: Cutting boards need more than just soap and hot water after use to maintain their high quality. Scrub white vinegar into the board to allow the pH levels to remove germs or any residual food particles.

GIVE NEW LIFE TO KITCHEN WARES The old measuring cups, missing components of the set, can provide a new job around the house. How about using one to scoop liquid or powdered detergent, potting soil, fertilizer, or grass seed? Perhaps it would aid your effort to scoop out clean kitty litter or measure bedding for small pets, like a gerbil. Kids would appreciate a sturdy container to mix and transport paints or molding clay.

• An old spatula makes an ideal putty knife, or an implement for scraping paint from a can.

• Colanders missing a handle can still hold the garden’s bounty and offer an easy means for washing small objects outdoors.

If you have something new or old that needs to be renewed or reused, here are resources to help you keep it months, years, or decades longer! Continue learning the art of restoration or renewed use!

BY CAROLYN S PETERSON

There truly is nothing more devastating than losing a family member to cancer, but when the loss is your daughter, the pain is even deeper. Finding a silver lining in the loss is impossible and going on is a day to day journey. For Paulette Duggins, the loss of her daughter Angelica Da’Juana “Angel” Duggins, to colorectal cancer at the age of 32 came after a three-year battle that began in 2017. During her treatment, Angel was blessed to have a supportive and caring family who put their trust in God to see them through. Angel knew there were many who didn’t have health insurance or the emotional support she had, so she shared with her family her desire to start a non-profit to help others dealing with cancer. In June 2020, after Angel’s passing, The “Angelic Warrior Foundation,” AWF, was established by her family.

The Beginning of an Unexpected Journey

At the age of 29, the last thing you would expect is a diagnosis of stage IV colorectal cancer, but that was the news Angel and her family received in July 2017. Angel’s diagnosis came as quite a shock and without warning or any obvious signs or symptoms. Chemotherapy followed a few weeks later for Angel; it was during these treatments that Angel noticed patients who were alone, while she had several loved ones by her side. “Angel had discussions with myself and her siblings about seeing other cancer patients alone, as well as her concern of how those without health care afforded expensive chemo treatments. It was Angel’s wish to start a non-profit to address patients without health insurance and without emotional support. To honor Angel’s wishes, last June, her siblings and I established Angelic Warrior Foundation,” commented Paulette.

A Mission to Help Others

The mission of the Angelic Warrior Foundation is to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and to provide the financial and emotional support that patients, their caregivers, and their families need in order to thrive during a difficult time. The vision is to decrease the number of premature deaths, and young people under the age of 40 being diagnosed, by encouraging screenings and discussions about family history.

Angel’s focus on others during the hardest time in her life wasn’t surprising to her family at all.

Angel came into this world 9 minutes after her twin brother Antonio and grew up in her hometown of Williamston, NC. “Angel had a big, radiant smile and an even bigger heart. She brought joy, excitement, love, compassion, and a spirit of giving and sharing to everyone around her. During her teenage years, when I wasn’t around, Angel became the mother-in-charge, a role that fit her well due to her caring and nurturing nature,” recalled Paulette.

After graduating from high school in 2006, Angel attended WSSU, receiving a BS in Business Administration, leading her to a job with Bank of America in Greensboro, NC. The corporate life didn’t quite fit with Angel’s calm, laid back, personality, so she began working at Forsyth County Department of Social Services, where her heart of servitude and caring for others was right at home. Quite possibly, Angel’s legacy of helping others will have the greatest impact in the years after her passing.

Honoring a Life Well-Lived

Since its establishment in June 2020, the Angelic Warrior Foundation has launched its official website, and developed a following of over 500 on several social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. “We have shared educational blogs about colon cancer, started a Colon Cancer Screening Stories Campaign, raised over $4000 through selling AWF clothing merchandise, along with the generous donations from our supporters. The AWF board members consist of those closest to Angel during her journey, to include myself, her twin brother, as we were her caregivers, and her siblings Jasmine, Cameron, and Joy. Since our founding, we have provided support to two families, where with one an entire family of five was screened for colon cancer due to an extensive family history with the disease. Our goal is to continue to raise awareness, and support patients, caregivers, and families as we work with other like-minded organizations,” Paulette said.

Family was at the heart of Angel’s life and in her final few years, she became a first- time aunt and by 2020, she was blessed to be an aunt to 5 nieces and nephews and they all added much joy and happiness to her life. Even in her passing, her love for her mother, twin brother and siblings, continues with the work of AWF.

For more information on AWF, visit www.angelicwarriorfoundation. org. The Duggins family would like to thank the medical professionals at Novant Oncology in Kernersville, NC for their care of Angel.

TURNING UP THE HEAT

BY LISA NORTHROP, SECU FAMILY HOUSE

Anew version of the SECU Family House’s signature Men Who Cook fundraising event, presented by Wake Forest Baptist Health, is on the front burner for March.

Typically, Men Who Cook brings together local male amateur chefs and their cooking teams who battle it out to please the tastebuds of nearly 400 hungry attendees. Participating chefs come from all sectors of the Winston-Salem community from banking to clergy, lawyers to realtors, higher education to local media, and everything in between.

Leigh Cameron-Atkins has attended the event every year since its inception. “The first year, my friends came to support me as a member of the Family House board. Since that first evening, they now ask me when tickets will go on sale each year because they don’t want to miss it. We enjoy the fellowship with each other and the amazing food, but it’s more than that. The room is filled with giving hearts and a genuine love for the Family House that is unlike any other event I’ve attended. Men Who Cook has become one of our favorite social outings of the year.”

The coronavirus pandemic iteration of Men Who Cook will entail an auction of private dinners provided by some of your favorite Men Who Cook chefs plus some new venues and chefs. This year, people will bid on their own personalized dining experience. Whether it be an outdoor barbeque with ten friends, an intimate in-home three-course meal, or a casual picnic and wine pairing at a local winery, there will be a safe option for you and those in your pandemic bubble.

“I expect the 2021 Men Who Cook event to be just as successful this year, if not more so. My friends and I have already talked about the new format and are eager to see what options might be available for us to bid on as a group. Hint…we’re partial to a picnic and wine pairing option,” says Cameron-Atkins.

She may have a couple of experiences to place her bid on. Peter Mikeal is returning as a chef with his partner, realtor Jason Bragg, to auction off a 5-course wine tasting with food pairings for up to 10 people at his urban farm. Kevin Kampman is returning to serve his show-stopping paella dish at the tasting room of RayLen Vineyards. “Anyone who likes new experiences and has a love of food and wine, will enjoy this culinary journey,” says Mikeal. “I have always enjoyed finding wines that are diamonds in the rough and virtually unknown. This meal was driven by those unknown gems paired with food that creates something better than the sum of its parts.”

The Family House, which is conveniently located near WinstonSalem’s two major hospitals, has served as home base for folks from 95 North Carolina counties and 45 states and has welcomed more than 41,000 overnight guests since opening its doors in 2011. When families come to our area with their loved ones for medical treatment – whether planned or in emergency situations – the Family House provides a welcoming, comfortable atmosphere for rest, food, community and more. There is a small overnight fee for guests, and a Family House assistance fund is in place thanks to faithful donations and events like the Men Who Cook fundraiser. In typical years, Men Who Cook events raise an average of $140,000 for the SECU Family House.

“While I’d rather be together with all my friends and neighbors at our typical in-person event, I think this version will create some really unique memories!” says Kathy Carr, executive director of the Family House. “I encourage you to bid on the experiences and support our wonderful families.”

In addition to Mikeal and Bragg, returning chefs include Dr. Michael Lalor, John Elster, Dr. Michael Lischke, Phil Roethle, and Joey Skelton, Kimberly and Eric Stone, Bill Adams, David Barksdale and John Millican, Trent Wall, Peter Juran, John Mann, Kevin Kampman, Chris Lyon and new this year, chef Jeff Bacon along with a few other surprise venues and chefs!

Generous sponsors include presenting sponsor Wake Forest Baptist Health, as well as Novant Health, Publix Super Markets Charities, Garner Foods, Allegacy Federal Credit Union and Forsyth Magazines. There are still openings for sponsorships and chef teams.

Make plans to choose your own personalized experience when bidding is open March 15-20 when Winston-Salem’s own will don their aprons and grab their whisks for a great cause! Other ways to participate other than bidding include making a tip donation to your favorite chef, or purchasing one of our fun meal-themed items. $40 helps one family for one night and all tips support Family House families!

BIDDING OPEN MARCH 15 – 20, 2021 www.familyhousews.org/men-who-cook Contact Tracy Geiger at the SECU Family House at 336-793-2822 or tracy.geiger@familyhousews.org for more information.