The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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October 27, 2009

Taste of Home ticket holders can help local food bank through donations of food, money to Cooks Who Care

By Bev Davis

Ticket-holders who attend the Taste of Home Made Easy cooking shows Monday and Tuesday are asked to bring donations of canned food and nonperishable food items for the Taste of Home Cooks Who Care program.

The food will be given to Fishes and Loaves Food Bank in Beckley to be distributed locally. Each ticket-holder is asked to bring at least one food item or monetary donation. Fishes and Loaves will host a booth where these items will be accepted.

All items will be donated to the Fishes and Loaves, a food distribution center affiliated with the Church of God Family Worship Center in Beckley. The center provides food and other items for members of who are in need.

“The money and food we collect will be distributed within our community,” said director Shelby Warden. “With the economy the way it is now, we have seen a greater need in our community, and we are so grateful to Cooks Who Care for hosting this food drive for us.”

Fishes and Loaves saw 50 new sign-ups in October and 45 in September, she said.

“These are mostly working people who’ve lost their jobs, and they don’t know how they will be able to continue to take care of their families,” Warden said.

Chuck Jessup, advertising director for The Register-Herald, said the response to Cooks Who Care has helped many families throughout the area.

“A lot of people have lost their jobs, and things are really tight economically everywhere. Fishes and Loaves makes a tremendous impact on the lives of so many people in our area. We’re always glad to participate any way we can to help make sure no one has to go without food,” Jessup said.

Fishes and Loaves received 50 large boxes of food from the Cooks Who Care drive at the Taste of Home shows in 2008, Warden said.

The organization is now collecting money to purchase between 800 and 1,000 turkeys to be used in the November and December holiday distributions, she added.

In October, Fishes and Loaves distributed 500 boxes of food to area families.

Created by Taste of Home, Cooks Who Care is a pro-social effort to celebrate acts of caring by home cooks and communities across the country.

Introduced as a magazine feature in October 2006, Cooks Who Care unites compassionate real people across the country, who give back through food, and shares their stories of kindness in print and online at www.tasteofhome.com.

To learn more about Cooks Who Care and to share your story of giving back visit www.tasteofhome.com.

— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com

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