Show Sunday May 2 2004 People in business Gets grant With a continued focus on the future of America’s children Big Lots Inc recently awarded $1000 education grants to 200 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country This is the second year the Fortune 500 retailer has distributed grants through its “Values for Life" pro- gram The Boys & Girls Club of Cache Valley is one of the 200 local Clubs selected to receive a grant from Big Lots the nation’s largest broadline closeout retailer The grant will support the organi- zation's various needs including salary support for tutors program development and implementation educational supplies furniture educational field trips incentives and books Boys & Girls Club of Cache Valley received the Big Lots education grant through a national competitive grant process To be consideral for funding local Boys & Girls Clubs submitted a plan on how the grant rhoney would improve their current educational programming Joins staff The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) is pleased to announce the hiring of Jason Swasey as an electrical engi- neer He will be developing and testing completed sensors for an environmental monitoring research program He will also perform analysis and interpretation of both test and field results Swasey comes to the Lab with a master's in electrical engineering from Utah State University He has been working at SDL as a student electrical engineering research assistant and has supported the Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Tlrans-form Spectrometer (GIFTS) a sensor system for an atmospheric weather satellite He also designed and fabricated power communica- tion data acquisition and control systems for the Lada growth chamber system and developed the interferometer servo drive and mirror caging electronics for the Far-Infrar- ed Spectroscopy of the Troposphere (FIRST) balloon experiment that will be conducted in September 2004 Recognized Shane Lewis parts manager at Davis Auto Center was recently mystery shopped by Daimler-Chryslheadquarters and was awarded $1000 for his excellent er responses ENLuceraHerald Journal Manager Athena Madsen organizes clothes on the racks at the new Somebody's Attic Too in Smithfiekf The thrift store will open Friday Fueled by success in Logan By Pat Bohm lYostle features writer thrift shop really has to live up to its name to be successful enough to open another store but that is just what has happened with Somebody’s Attic The nonprofit venture is about to start Somebody’s Attic Too in Smith field The grand opening is Friday May 7 10 am to 6 pm at 108 N Main Founded in 1985 to earn funds for local abuse-preventi- Some- Great employee Kandace McCreary his been selected by her peers as Cache County Corporation’s Employee of the Month for April She started her professional career with Cache County Victim Services and now works at the Children's Justice Center (CJC) as the Office Manager During her time at the CJC site has improved protocols for handling child abuse cases and implemented new programs such as Child Abuse medical exams She has increased the organization of the CJC and improved relationships with other agencies She is great at ' making everyone who comes into the CJC feel welcome and comfortable She handles child abuse issues professionally and is able to ofTer any help needed to the families dealing with abuse Originally from Cache County she graduated from Sky View High School and graduated from Weber State w here she received her bachelor of science degree in criminal justice-laenforcement and a minor in psychology w New managers Rich and Margie Stephenson are the new managing partners at Providence Assisted Living They live at the building and bring over ten years of experience serving seniors Rich in a native Utahn and Margie is from Texas They are dedicated to serving the seniors in the area Anyone who would like to meet Rich and Margie or tour the facility is welcome to stop by programs body's Attic has more than fulfilled its initial goals Between 1987 and 2003 the nonprofit organization donated $540000 to the Children's Justice Center Child and Family Services Center community Abuse prevention Services Agency (CAPSA) Cache Food Bank Bridgerjand Literacy and others In 1986 said director Joy Shaw the group was able to donate $1 8000 In 2003 it donated $76000 and declared Shaw they hope to exceed that in 2004 Somebody's Attic also offers clothing vouchers for women re entering the work force and for victims assisted by the Red Cross low-inco- She explained that “999 percent" of the money Somebody's Attic uses for operations and donations to community agencies comes non-prof-it thrift store opens second branch from the “generosity of Cache Valley citizens” The organization does not apply for grants preferring to concentrate efforts on sorting and selling donated clothing jewelry and household items As part of its mission the Attic keeps its prices low so more people can spare the money to buy from them “Our pricing structure is families so that can afford to shop here" said Shaw Only six paid positions exists at the Logan store ' and for now there are just two at the new store Because much of Somebody's Attic staff is made up of volunteers Shaw said “We can afford to sell for 10 low-inco- to 15 percent less" compared to Deseret Industries an organization under the aegis of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da-y Saints Besides operating as a thrift store DI is a training center that has many employees as well as a small fleet of trucks to pick up donations Shaw uid Somebody’s Attic and DI in Logan have a Cordial relationship The LDS store offered trucks and loaders to help move goods to Smithfield while Somebody's Attic shares donated items with DI “If it doesn't fit our guidelines or exceeds our needs they'll pick up" said Shaw Join the crew Like Somebody's Attic Somebody's Attic Too will keep prices low by using mostly volunteer labor If you'd Nke to help man the store the following shifts are available:' Monday 124 and 34 12-- Wednesday 3 and34 Friday and 12-- 3 Saturday and 4 10--1 34 11-- 3 1-- ' " ' i Tb volunteer caB Athena : Madsen at See STORE on All 752-850- 2 or or Joy Shaw at 563-038- 8 7554693 f - ' Weeds: If you can’t beat ’em eat ’em By Lorallo Cox Years ago when I w as a young child in my father's half-acr- e garden my job was to remove weeds from the never-endin- g rows of vegetables I was reminded that “by the sweat of my brow I would earn my bread I didn't like to weed and I didn't like the garden However I did like the fresh corn and tomatoes so I capitulated to my mother's requests to weed the vegetables Eventually I matured to the point that I realized the therapeutic qualities of pulling weeds As much as I enjoy weeding today it seems there are times when I have as many weeds in my yard as cultivated plants However last summer a neighbor showed me a novel approach to weed control: Eat my weeds That's right One day I came home to find a man standing in my flower bed filling a paper sack I was somewhat dismayed and asked what he was doing I looked in the bag to find it full of a plant 1 deemed a weed called purslane He'd done a wonderful job of cleaning up the weeds and was taking them home for sup- per I have long been aware of the medicinal use of some native plants and used to eating pine nuts berries dandelions and wild onions while hiking in the southeastern Utah desert But 1 thought I knew the difference between acceptable and unacceptable plants to eat I have since learned that the difference is subjective One man's weed is another man's gourmet salad Gardeners can expand their culi- nary horizons by incorporating a few of these weeds into every day meals There are about 50000 edible plants in the world but the average family eats about 30 of them If consumers added weeds to their diet the list of advantages include not only adding another plant to the list eaten but an early spring harvest when most gardens are yet unproductive money savings — totally free and increased productivity of the garden One of the most prolific weeds in many Cache Valley gardens is a succulent plant called purslane I was amazed a few yean ago when a gentleman came to my office asking where he could obtain low-growi- purslane seeds to cultivate just as his mother in Scandinavia did People from the Mediterranean region eat it in soups and salads Mexicans use it as a potherb and Russians dry and can it for winter use Purslane's mildly acidic flavor is a unique addition to fresh salads contributing vitamins C E and beta carotene Vibrant yellow flowers are on display in Cache Valley lawns this time of the year Most citizens rush to eradicate them but the dandelion was once considered absolutely essential for survival and planted in kitchen gardens providing food medicine and wine Every part of the plant is edible except seeds and flower stalks ' Young leaves eaten in early spring are prepared either raw or steamed Roots may be boiled like parsnips anytime of the season but they are highest in nutrients during the fall When I w as small my mother and I would gather pigweed early in the spring while waiting for my father to finish chores at the farm Mom would bring the fresh pickin's home and steam diem just like spinach When I took a course in weed identification in college I realized I had eaten a weed referred to as Lambs' quarters This weed is one of the earliest to emerge in the spring and new shoots on stems less than 1 foot tall have a pleasant mild flavor and are rich in iron Inquisitive gardeners willing to try something new must remember that not all weeds are edible Consult a good reference book if there's a question Don't eat weeds where pesticides have been applied and don't pick weeds from the side of the road where pesticides may have been used As with any new food introduc- tion is best done a little at a time especially if allergies are a problem-Wheweeds are harvested as with any garden vegetable pick them when young and tender and as the season wears on and the weeds move into the landscape no problem just eat them Loralie Cox is a Utah State University Extension agent specializing in horti- culture Her horticulture column appears every other Sunday on the Enterprise page She can be reached by email at lorafiecOexLueuedu She e writers it one of a number of whose columns appear from time to time in The Herald Journal in an effort to expose readers to a variety of local views She to not an employee of the free-Janc- newspaper |