Last week Holly and I spent some time with folks attending the Dover-Foxcroft Area Food Cupboard to get their input on our Spice Drive program.
You've probably seen our monthly posts with a featured Spice of the Month and how to donate a container to the Dover-Foxcroft Area Food Cupboard from one of our participating stores. What you might not be aware of is the behind the scenes work and planning that's done. As much as we can, we try an include the folks that take home spices from the food cupboard, in on our planning process.
Often times our spice selection is determined by the participating stores spice selection and availability. This year though we are in good standing to do our best with community support to raise enough donations to spice up the local food cupboard.
It was a small sample size, but what we found was that most everyone we asked enjoyed January's Spice of the Month Garlic Powder (stay tuned for the recipe!).
Folks thought good spice options in the future would be ginger spice, thyme and allspice. A few people said red pepper flakes and chili powder were just too hot. And dried cilantro wasn't among the top faves.
Two folks reported dill being a good choice as they use it for canning. And one person suggested having 2-3 spices available at distribution so they could choose.
All of the above observations were really helpful in making sure Spice Drive continues to offer the selection that is most needed.
We really appreciated being able to get direct feedback about Spice Drive and will continue to do so as the year goes on. We always welcome feedback and are curious to know what spices help you spice up your meals and your personal cupboard! Give us a call, write an email or stop by the office to let us know!