Letters to the editor

Dear Editor,

The Carter County Food Bank would like to thank everyone for their support. We are very fortunate to have this service available to needy families. Approximately 400-500 lbs of food per month goes out. The Montana Food Bank Network provides many staples for us, including canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter and nuts, some meats and all the pasta products you could ever want.

As we approach this holiday season, I have been receiving lots of requests for a list of food bank needs. Following is a list of items that can be used in the Carter County Food Bank. I believe this is the best way to reach people. Monetary donations are also welcome.

Carter County Food Bank Needs

Evaporated milk

Sweetened condensed milk

Sugar

Brown sugar

Flour

Powder sugar

Vanilla

Dessert mixes

Hot cocoa mix

Tea bags

Muffin mixes

Cake/Brownie mixes

Boxed salad mixes

Marshmallows

Bread

Butter, margarine

Cool whip

Small frozen pies

Cookies

Soups (not chicken noodle, cream of chicken, or tomato)

Pepper

Toilet paper

Kleenex

Paper towels

Ensure or Boost

Toiletries (deodorant, razors, lotion, ect.)

Turkeys and dinner rolls are taken care of for the holidays.

The clients are happy to get other meats. They really like pre-cooked sausage links and lunch meats. They also like individual TV dinners. There is freezer and refrigerator space in the food bank.

The majority of the food bank clients are senior citizens, therefore smaller packages go over better than large.

Upcoming food bank days will be the weeks of November 18 and December 16.

Thank You For the Support!

Tricia Lovec

Carter County Senior Citizen Coordinator/Food Bank Director

PO Box 504

Ekalaka, MT 59324

(406)775-8751

[email protected]

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Hello fellow Carter County residents! I, Raquel Williams RN, have recently accepted the position of the Carter County Public Health nurse! Many of you may know me from my years with Dahl Memorial Healthcare Association. While I loved my co-workers and patients, it was time to move in another direction. I am so excited to start a new adventure in my career. I am passionate about wellness, disease prevention, and education; which is the essence of public health.

Public health is concerned with the health of all the citizens in the county. Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. This is achieved by promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing and responding to infectious diseases.

I am also very enthusiastic about keeping children and adults current on vaccinations. Immunizations are the best way to prevent the spread of vaccine preventable diseases! Public health offers vaccinations for children 0-18 years who have no health insurance or are under insured through the program Vaccines for Children (VFC). Please don’t let lack of insurance deter you from vaccinating your children!

The Carter County Public Health office is located inside Dahl Memorial Healthcare, just at the end of the hospital hallway. Please be patient with me as I learn the many programs included in public health, and please stop by, call, or email me with any questions!

I look forward to serving the residents of Carter County for many years to come.

Raquel Williams RN

Carter County Public Health Nurse

406-775-6332

[email protected]