So, I have to tell you about this amazing place that I have been a donor/member of for the past 3 years.
Operations Phantom Support is not only making a HUGE impact on the Fort Hood Army Community, but also helping us to supplement big time on our family grocery budget! My kids love going because they usually receive a treat (always varies, but have received pencils, snack cakes, candy, stickers, juice boxes, etc), and I love it because they get to help me out too.
They are a military nonprofit that assists active duty & honorable veterans and their families. (My husband is a Veteran). They ask for a $20 once a month donation to use their services. You can then use all of the programs/services based on funding available. The Nancy Miller Food Pantry is a branch of Operation Phantom Support, and open to donors 8 times a month (every Thursday and Saturday) and spouses can also sign up. Just bring your military dependent ID or your Spouse's DD214 or VA card.
Seriously, that $20 donation can pay for itself in one trip! I love that many times, the food offered is organic, which is really nice! There is also baby items (formula, cereal, etc) available to pick from for those who need it. When visiting, let them know it's your first trip and they'll show you the ropes. You can usually find a post on their Facebook page listing what is offered that day, but some items will change with availability.
Plus, your donation helps every other soldier or veteran that comes too! So come on in and sign up, and please be sure to bring your own reusable bags.... But in case you forget, they usually have bags available for donation. 😉
Here's what I got on today's pickup:
Onions and potatoes (variety of sweet, red, and white) have been on the list for a few days, so we have A LOT of them. Luckily, they store easily. Here's what I plan on doing with the rest of those items.
-Hamburger buns: Score! Dinner tonight is now hamburgers (using this nice deal at H-E-B yesterday)
- I'll also be roasting up the sweet potatoes and making jalapeno poppers (filled with cream cheese, feta and shredded cheese) with what we received in today's haul.
-Mangos: Peel, cube and freeze in Ziploc baggies for smoothies or just to eat as a frozen treat. I feed the peels and seeds to my chickens and they pick them clean.
-Shredded carrots: will be great to toss into a spinach salad, make a carrot salad for a side for one of our meals this week, or to make a smoothie (Try making this simple recipe: ½ cup orange juice. 1 cup almond or coconut milk, 1 medium banana. 1 cup mango chunks (using mangos from today), 1 cup carrots)
-Onions: Warmer weather is here, so I'm not really feeling onion soup, but I saw a recipe for Tennessee Onions that I'd like to give a try. The other plan is to purchase a food dehydrator so I can dry and store onions in a smaller container and use as needed in recipes.
-Pork chops: They are now definitely on the menu. I'm thinking "fried" cabbage from the cabbage we received last week at OPS would be perfect with it.
-Okra: I love fried okra, but have never had a good experience frying it lol. So, I'm going to opt for a lighter recipe and pickling them. (water, mix of white and apple cider vinegar, clove of garlic, red pepper flakes, kosher salt)
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