DEAR SUN SPOTS: Do you know of any classes or workshops in our area that teach canning of fruits and vegetables? — Wendy, Sweden.
ANSWER: Several food preservation classes are being offered by Maine Adult Education this spring. The Adult Learning Center, 486 Turner Center Road in Turner, will offer a Preserving the Harvest class starting May 3 on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $20 and you can register online at tinyurl.com/h2s4r3u.
This hands-on workshop is taught by the UMaine Cooperative Extension and will show you the basic steps for canning and freezing. You receive a food preservation packet, learn recipes, equipment safety and how to check for properly sealed jars.
The Cooperative Extension frequently offers workshops on this subject. To follow its upcoming offerings and to see additional information and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu/food-health/food-preservation.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: I need a good local tailor to create a suit for me from scratch. Can you recommend one, please? — No name, no town.
ANSWER: Sun Spots reached out to several local alteration shops and businesses, but no one with this skill could be found. This question is up to you, readers. If anyone has this skill or knows of someone in the area who provides this service, please let Sun Spots know.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: SeniorsPlus, the designated Western Maine Agency on Aging, is seeking volunteers for several of its programs:
- Medicare advocate: provides confidential assistance to individuals in understanding, reviewing options and choices for Medicare coverage. Experience in Microsoft Office products, internet research and keyboarding skills required. Advocates must attend a certification training program scheduled for May 10, 17, and 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the SeniorsPlus office in Lewiston. Additional training is provided after completion of the certification program. Advocates are needed throughout Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties.
- Dining site volunteers: healthy meal assistance including set-up, serving, cleanup and donation collection at Farmington on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Meadowview and Heritage Court in Lewiston on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. No experience necessary. All training provided.
- Meals on Wheels drivers/deliverers: deliver nutritious meals and social contact to the homebound in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties, one or more days per week from the Lewiston production kitchen. Most routes take about one hour and a half, Monday through Thursday mornings between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Must have a valid Maine driver’s license.
- Kitchen helpers/packers: assist with preparation of meals or packing of delivered meals at the Lewiston production kitchen, one or more days per week, Monday through Thursday mornings from 8:30 to 11 a.m.
For more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator Heather Chandel, at SeniorsPlus, by phone at 207 513-3710, or by email hchandel@seniorsplus.org.
Use the QR code to go to Sun Spots online for additional information and links. This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com, tweeted @SJ_SunSpots or posted on the Sun Spots Facebook page at facebook.com/SunJournalSunSpots. This column can also be read online at sunjournal.com/sunspots. We’ve joined Pinterest at pinterest.com/sj_sunspots.
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