Pantry

Spring is a time of rebirth, rejuvenation and renewal -- and, lest we forget, reorganization. For those thinking of getting that closet, pantry or garage shipshape, Mill's Pride makes a complete line of affordable home-organization products. Ready-to-assemble storage cabinets, bookcases and closet organizers can be mixed and matched to create any design combination. Closet organizers include hanging rods, multiple shelving, drawers, corner units, shoe stackers and more, all for reach-in or walk-in closets.

I have a simple question for you. I have heard that you should never refrigerate onions or potatoes. Is this true, and what is the best way to store them? First of all, never say never ... the answer is actually yes and no. You should not refrigerate onions or potatoes until you have prepped them for cooking - and even then not for very long. Until that time, they should be stored in a cool, dry place like a pantry. Here's the tricky part: they shouldn't be stored together. Onions give off a natural gas that quickens the decay of potatoes.

Giant extends drive to help stock food pantries Hoping to meet increasing demands at area food banks, Giant Food Inc. is extending its annual "Good Neighbor Food and Funds" campaign through the end of this month. The campaign was to end Dec. 31, but will run until Jan. 31 to benefit food pantries and soup kitchens, some of which reported in a recent survey that they are serving more families than ever. People can participate by donating nonperishable food or cash at participating Giant or Super G stores.

They closed the doors early at Agape House, but not before the crowd spilled into the hallway and onto the steps below. Crouched on the floor and huddled in corners, toddlers and senior citizens alike waited for Thanksgiving baskets that others would not be so lucky to get. Two weeks ago, for the first time, the West Baltimore nonprofit organization began telling people who called for Thanksgiving meals that they would have to go elsewhere. At Agape House and around the state, a troublesome combination of soaring demand and slowing donations all year has depleted the stock of emergency food.

THE SHELVES are almost bare in the food pantry at Bethel Assembly of God in Savage. That is not good news for the 50 or so neighborhood families that rely on the church for regular donations of food. Bethel's congregation provides most of the food that the pantry distributes to needy Savage-area families. The Howard County Food Bank also contributes about 80 cases of canned goods to the pantry each year. The county food bank is administered by the Community Action Council, a nonprofit organization serving low-income county residents.

It's the holiday season, your house has been turned into Grand Central Station with guests dropping by at all hours. You need to whip up food in a flash. What to do? First, don't panic. Next, check your pantry and fridge. Believe it or not, you probably have the makings of some fabulous appetizers already in-house. Ritz crackers and Cheez Whiz are only for desperate scenarios, and that's not the situation you'll be in if you follow the advice of these local party pros. "There's nothing here that even the most inexperienced cook, just out of college or just married, can't do," says Harriet Dopkin, president and co-owner of the Classic Catering People in Owings Mills.

ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON - After launching warplanes for five days against Afghanistan, this nuclear-powered aircraft carrier busied itself yesterday taking aboard supplies. Its needs included the following: More than 1 million gallons of jet fuel. Ten thousand pounds of potatoes. One hundred forty-four thousand eggs. Nine thousand six hundred cans of beer, to be stored in a weapons magazine and broken out only when the ship has been away from port for 45 days, which, as everyone among the Vinson's 5,500-member crew knows, is coming up soon.

United Black Clergy of Anne Arundel County Inc. has met its goal of raising $10,000 to help refurbish Rapture Church in Lothian, which was desecrated with racial slurs and had its food pantry and equipment looted last month. At a "restoration rally" scheduled for Saturday in Glen Burnie, United Black Clergy officials will present the donated money to church leaders to help pay expenses not covered by insurance. Church officials estimated the vandals did more than $20,000 worth of damage.

Volunteers at a southern Anne Arundel County church's food pantry said yesterday they will be forced to suspend their weekly food giveaways because vandals looted their church, stole roasts from freezers, poured syrup in computer equipment and left racial slurs and satanic symbols. Standing their ground, members of Rapture Church in Lothian held Sunday services under two tents in the church parking lot. They plan to reopen their 16-year-old food pantry after they clean up the damage, but they said this week's distribution would be canceled.

Hampstead will collect yard waste through Nov. 26. To participate, residents must place clear plastic bags of yard waste curbside the night before pickup. Bags must be tied. Tree and shrub prunings should be tied in bundles less than 4 feet long. Information: 410-239-7408. Group seeks volunteers, donations for food pantry Northeast Social Action Program seeks volunteers and donations for its food pantry. Workers are needed to help NESAP with renovations at its store at 1046 S. Carroll St., Hampstead.