Thank Napoleon, next time you open a can of food.
In 1795, Napoleon offered a prize of 12,000 francs to improve the food preservation methods that existed at the time. Before canning, people used salting, drying, sugaring and smoking to preserve food. Napoleon’s purpose, not surprisingly, was to feed his army when an invaded country was not able or inclined to sell or provide food to his soldiers.
A French confectioner and inventor, Nicolas Appert claimed the prize fifteen years later. He devised a method involving heating, boiling and sealing food in airtight glass jars. Appert wrote a book on his canning invention, and soon after, an English businessman, Peter Durand, adapted the design and, in 1810, patented the use of tin instead of glass cans.
The 19th century saw a canning boom when companies like Campbell Soup, Heinz, and Borden started canning their products. Today, canned foods are still popular and are used by everyone, from private citizens to the military to food banks.
Need a great way to celebrate Canned Food Month? Donate canned goods today! Everyone deserves a warm meal in the winter.
What can you do to help your community this February (or any month of the year)? Let’s take a look at local food banks and community resources that you can donate towards, volunteer with, or go to for help this winter and beyond.
Charles County Children’s Aid Society
3000 Huntington Circle
Waldorf, MD 20602
301-645-1561
childrens-aid-society.org
Southern Maryland Food Bank
22A Irongate Drive
Waldorf, Md 20602
301-274-0695
catholiccharitiesdc.org/program/southern-maryland-food-bank/
United Way of Southern Maryland
PO Box 2141
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-4844
unitedwaysouthernmaryland.org
Don’t stop there! Why not grab a great read and find out what more you can do to help your community? Or, read a great book about others who helped in different ways. You can find all of these books at your local library, so come on out and check out a book and help your community library in one small and easy way.
Doing Small Things with Great Love by Sharon Eubank
From Goodreads: Drawing from decades of experience in humanitarian service, Sharon Eubank offers a wisdom-packed guide on how to enact impactful aid in the world and especially in your own backyard. Whether you’re inspired by compassion or looking to enrich your life through meaningful service, this book will change how you approach helping others… Start making an impact today in your own community through 12 service principles that can spark anyone into action.
Teen Guide to Volunteering by Stuart A. Kallen
From Goodreads: One of those benefits is that volunteers make peoples’ lives better. And a second benefit is people who help others help themselves. Volunteers feel personal satisfaction when they see how their efforts are making the world a better place. This is a powerful tool for reducing stress, combating depression, and providing a sense of purpose.Volunteer work can be challenging but those who tackle problems or aid strangers meet like-minded people of all ages from a wide variety of backgrounds. This reduces feelings of loneliness. It can also help you widen your social circle beyond [your] immediate family while forming bonds that last a lifetime.
Volunteering: Insights and Tips for Teenagers by Jean Rawitt
From Goodreads: Insights and Tips for Teenagers provides a complete guide to the world of volunteerism. It shows you how to become engaged in what will be among the most gratifying and worthwhile experiences of your life. In this book you’ll learn why volunteerism is so important both to volunteers themselves and to those they serve and explore different types of volunteer opportunities and how to find and secure a rewarding volunteer placement. With advice from professionals and first-hand accounts from teen volunteers, including a fifteen-year-old girl who started a foundation that now helps hundreds of new parents, this book will help you make the most of your volunteer experience. You will learn [with] helpful tips for success and a resource list of volunteer opportunities, this book provides everything you need to understand the vital and vibrant world of volunteerism.
No Good Deed by Goldy Moldavsky
From Goodreads: He’s not asking for much. All Gregor Maravilla wants to do is feed all of the starving children on the planet. So when he’s selected to join Camp Save the World, a special summer program for teenage activists from all over the country to champion their cause, Gregor’s sure he’s on the path to becoming Someone Great.
But then a prize is announced. It will be awarded at the end of summer to the activist who shows the most promise in their campaign… Plus, the prize has an unforeseen side effect, turning a quiet summer into cutthroat warfare where campers stop focusing on their own campaigns and start sabotaging everyone else’s.
Lemons and Lies by Alexis Castellanos
From Goodreads: Valeria Morales’ senior year is not off to a great start. Her twin brother Adrian isn’t talking to her, she’s realizing all of her friends were actually his friends, and now she’s failing math. Enter Gage Magnussen. Gage isn’t looking to take on any tutoring gigs now that his standing as valedictorian is at risk after letting a catastrophic breakup distract him–not to mention his demanding parents expect Gage to coordinate their yearly charity auction alongside his cheating ex. So Valeria offers him a If he helps her pass, she’ll take over event planning AND pretend to be his girlfriend. A win-win-win!
But as their study sessions move to deep conversations and their fake dates begin feeling realer and realer, is it possible the lemons they’ve been dealt will turn to lemonade? Or will this arrangement only sting?
