meals – The Western Howl

Written by: Sadie Latimer | News Editor

Western’s food pantry is located in room 165 of the Welcome Center. It is open Tuesdays 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. for Western students and faculty only. It is open to the public 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Wednesdays and 2 – 6 p.m. Thursdays. Abby’s House — Western’s center for equity and gender justice — is the parent organization of the food pantry.

Everyone is welcome to utilize the food pantry on the allotted days, even including non-residents of Monmouth. There is also no maximum or minimum amount of income an individual needs to have to be a customer. Everything in the food pantry is free to all customers.

Also located in room 165 of the Welcome Center is the Stitch Closet. The Stitch Closet provides clothes for individuals, free of charge. It has the same hours as the food pantry for the convenience of users. Like the food pantry, the Stitch Closet is also a part of Abby’s House. The concept for the Stitch Closet was imagined in 2020 and came to fruition fall 2021.

Tarly Sineo, a first-year at Western majoring in psychology, started volunteering at the food pantry and the Stitch Closet as soon as it opened for the 2024-25 school year. “I took multiple steps to ensure that I got to volunteer the first day it was available to me,” said Sineo.

Student volunteers are integral in ensuring the organization runs smoothly. “(I make) sure that the floors are clear, everything’s stocked correctly, clothing racks are clear and we’re using the right hangers. Just general maintenance,” said Sineo.

Sineo is passionate about helping students and members of the community and making sure they have the resources they need. “It means a lot to me. Pretty early (in the term) I figured that I’d probably be bored and have a lot of hours just kind of sitting around my room … So I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone; busy myself, and make the community a bit better for the people around me.”

Food pantries are an important part of many communities, and it is especially beneficial for students. Western’s food pantry is helping to battle food insecurity among students, with college campuses statistically having more people who struggle.

“It’s a really valuable asset,” said Sineo. “Some (meal plans) don’t get to three meals a day on all of the weekdays.” The food pantry also helps anyone who is hosting community events — such as a Thanksgiving gathering or a residence hall event — get the materials and resources they need.

Western’s food pantry put together turkey baskets for community members. The baskets have uncooked turkey or ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cranberry sauce and the ingredients to make green bean casserole.

“It’s a program for people who might not have the money to get a full turkey or the circumstances to be able to get a bunch of different Thanksgiving food for their family,” said Sineo.

Much of the food that Western’s food pantry offers is provided by a Salem food bank — Marion Polk Food Share. The rest of the food supply is a collection of donations from people in the community.

The food pantry follows a client-choice model of shopping. Customers can choose their items instead of receiving a preselected bag of groceries. This ensures that people will use everything they take, instead of wasting the things they either don’t like or can’t eat due to allergies.

There is no limit to the number of times people can shop at the food pantry. They can take as much food as they need as long as they are courteous of other customers who also need to use the food pantry. Once customers have finished shopping, they weigh their food and anonymously fill out a checkout survey. The personal information of shoppers is never collected.

Individuals can support the food pantry and the Stitch Closet by volunteering or giving donations. They accept donations of food, clothes, hygiene products, pet food and school supplies. Donations are collected in a box in front of the food pantry. Individuals can also donate money to the food pantry through Abby’s House.

For food donations, homemade goods and meals from restaurants will not be accepted. Store-bought foods should have a visible expiration date and nutrition label. It should be in the original packaging with any lids and seals still intact.

For clothing donations, the Stitch Closet will not accept anything that shows offensive words or visuals, or clothes that are damaged or dirty.

If donors are unsure if an item will be accepted, they can take it to a student volunteer who will inspect it.

For students who would like to volunteer, there is a volunteer interest form linked in the food pantry’s Instagram — @woufoodpantry.

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

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Utilizing Kale

These three simple recipes easily incorporate kale into one’s diet

Jude Bokovoy | Lifestyle Editor

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

These three recipes were created to include optimal amounts of kale by Jude Bokovoy and can be found on instagram @judy.the.foody.

Kale is an easily accessible vegetable with great nutritional value. According to Healthline, kale helps lower cholesterol, risk of heart disease and inflammatory responses. It is also high in fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C.What really stands out is that kale has the ability to reduce the likelihood of developing at least five different types of cancer. The catch is, kale is typically sold in huge quantities and has a short shelf life.

One of the most common ways to consume kale is by packing it into a smoothie. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have to be a green smoothie. One can easily hide the vegetable taste with just the right amount of fruit. Below is a smoothie recipe that incorporates both a fruity taste and a healthy amount of vegetables. One of the biggest benefits of kale smoothies is that one can freeze the kale beforehand, which is a useful way to reduce waste if one has a large bag of fresh kale that can’t be used before it goes bad.

KALE SMOOTHIE

Start to finish: Three minutes

Yields: One smoothie

⅓ cup of kale

2 small mandarin oranges

⅛ cup frozen mixed berries

5 tablespoons of Dah! mango probiotic yogurt

6 tablespoons of Organic Life Green & Clean juice

Put ingredients in a blender. Blend to the consistency of one’s liking. For a fruitier taste add a banana or another kind of berry. For a veggie heavy smoothie add chard or any other leafy green.

The next recipe is a comforting omelet. The amount of ingredients can sound overwhelming, but rest assured, it can be made in a short amount of time. This cheesy, vegetable filled omelet will warm one’s heart while fueling the body.

VEGGIE OMELET

Start to finish: Seven minutes

Yields: One omelet

3 Eggs

Handful of kale, chopped

4 grape tomatoes, chopped

2 slices of ham, chopped

Sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese

Sriracha or ketchup, optional

Warm butter or cooking spray in a small frying pan. Then crack and scramble eggs into the pan when ready. Add the rest of the ingredients, then flip half of the mixture over. Cover with lid. Serve with sauces of your choice. Top off your omelet with sriracha and ketchup for a spicy and flavorful taste.

Last is a recipe for a decadent mushroom and kale ravioli. Ravioli is a highly underutilized pasta dish because people fail to realize that it is so quick and easy to make. Kale is a great addition to any pasta, especially ravioli. All one has to do is add washed and chopped kale to their sauce as it is cooking.

MUSHROOM KALE RAVIOLI

Start to finish: 15 minutes

Yields: One serving

½ Bag of Giovanni Rama mushroom ravioli

¼ Jar of Mezzetta roasted garlic sauce

Handful of kale

Red chili flake

Boil five cups of water. Add ravioli to a pot of boiling water for around four minutes. Simultaneously pour sauce into a large warm frying pan. Add red chili flakes while the sauce is cooking to create some spice. Add kale and cooked ravioli to the sauce. Cover with lid until warmed to one’s liking. Then plate.

The Western Howl

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Super simple slow cooker soups

Two slow cooker soup recipes for the winter months

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

Combat the cold weather with a hearty soup recipe, like ham and potato or taco soup. Set it and forget it in a slow cooker for maximum convenience, and freeze some for later to enjoy a hot, easy meal for chilly days to come.

HAM AND POTATO SOUP

Start to finish: 8 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 8

3 ½ cups potatoes, peeled and diced

⅓ cup celery, chopped

⅓ cup onion, finely chopped

1 cup ham, diced

3 ¼ cups water

6 chicken bouillon cubes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

5 tablespoons flour

5 tablespoons butter

2 cups milk

Stir all but flour, butter and milk into a slow cooker. Cook on low for six to eight hours; check the tenderness of the potatoes.

Minutes before serving, melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour then gradually add milk, stirring constantly over medium heat until thick. Stir this mixture into the slow cooker.

Let cook for 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve and top with optional toppings like bacon, green onions, cheese or sour cream.

Recipe from momswithcrockpots.com

TACO SOUP

Start to finish: 7 hours

Servings: 4 to 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 ½ cups yellow or red onions, diced

2 to 3 cups chicken or beef broth

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

One 4-ounce can chopped green chiles

1 ¼ cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen

2 ½ teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onions and cook for two to three minutes, until the beef is browned and the onions look soft around the edges. Use a spatula to break up the ground beef into smaller pieces as it cooks. Remove from heat and drain some grease if desired.

Combine the beef, onions and remaining soup ingredients in a slow cooker and stir. Cook on low for six to seven hours. Upon serving, top with toppings such as crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, cilantro, red onion and lime juice.

Recipe from simplyrecipes.com

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

Utilizing Kale

Super simple slow cooker soups

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