getting the most for your dollar when you donate foods

We had someone donate to a food drive a tasty bite lentil bag. We are going to look at this donation versus cooking from scratch with organic products to see how you who donate to Jeffco Eats can get the most for our children and families consistently all year round.

Price:$10.73 ($0.18 / Ounce)  | FREE Same-Day

Tasty Bite Indian Entree Madras Lentils 10 Ounce (Pack of 6), Fully Cooked Indian Entrée with Lentils Red Beans & Spices in a Creamy Tomato Sauce, Microwaveable, Ready to Eat

by Tasty Bite   

So 60 oz of lentils is $10.73. In pounds of food which includes sauce in packets that is 4 lbs of lentils with sauce for $2.68 a lb for lentils with sauce.

How much lentils could we make with a lb of lentils we could purchase at Vitamin Cottage or King Soopers ? It is $1.91 for a pound of green lentils.

How Many Cups Does 1/4 Cup of Dry Lentils Make When Cooked? One-quarter cup of dry lentils makes about one-half to five-eighths cup cooked lentils. As a general rule of thumb, dry lentils approximately double in volume when cooked.

How Many Cups Does 1/4 Cup of Dry Lentils Make When Cooked …

https://www.reference.com/…/many-cups-1-4-cup-dry-lentils-make-cooked-7b6db04b3…

Arrowhead Mills Organic Green Lentils -- 16 oz

So one pound of lentils will make two pounds of lentils so that would be about $.95 a lb but then you make lentils in sauce. Says referance.com but we have another measure that seems more accurate.

Note that one pound (16 ounces) of dry lentils yields about 7 cups cooked. Remember, no soaking is required for cooking lentils.

How to Cook Lentils | Better Homes & Gardens

https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cooking-basics/how-to-cook-lentils/h

We will do some cooking classes with our High School program teachers at Brady High and McLain high to provide you with what they found out about the economics of eating smart and healthy.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/lentil-measures-equivalents-and-substitutions-1807469

Lentils

Lentils have been sustaining humans for thousands of years. Some foodies once considered lentils to be poor man’s food and refused to eat them because they are so inexpensive. Although they may be cheap, lentils are very nutritious, filling, and arguably the most flavorful of all the legumes. 

If you are a vegetarian, vegan, have diabetes, or follow a gluten-free lifestyle, lentils are a great substitute for some foods that are missing from your diet due to your restrictions.

For example, lentils can be a good source of the iron most commonly found in red meat and are high in potassium if you’re diabetic and need to find something to replace that banana. Lentils have a very low glycemic index and resistant starch content, which make them suitable for a diabetic diet. Lentils are also gluten-free and are essential in the gluten-free pantry for making bread, muffins, fritters, and pancakes. Lentil flour is used a lot in Indian cooking and is perfect for vegetarians who want to bake as it will provide missing nutrients.

Protein and Fiber

High in fiber and complex carbohydrates, lentils are a great option for those who have low-fat or low-calorie diets. For vegetarians and vegans, lentils are a good replacement protein; 1/2 cup of dry lentils, which yields just over 1 cup of cooked lentils, has about 26 grams of protein. It is also the equivalent of 80 percent of your daily fiber requirement.

If you are on a gluten-free diet and are restricted from a large segment of wheat-based, fiber-containing foods, turn to lentil for a good fiber source. An increased intake of fiber has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and may protect against developing colon cancer and diabetes.

Vitamins and Minerals

Potassium is good for counteracting an abundance of sodium in your diet and may help your body lower or regulate your blood pressure.

Bananas are usually known to be the potassium powerhouse, but for those who are on a strict diabetic diet, a large banana is not recommended. Luckily, 1/2 cup of dry split red lentils has more potassium than a large banana.

When looking at vegetarian options, lentils are the top source of folate of all the plant-based foods. Folate, also called vitamin B9, is essential for women who are pregnant or who want to become pregnant. Folate helps the body create DNA and other genetic material and supports red blood cell formation and nerve function. Folate is shown to lower artery-damaging homocysteine, may help prevent anemia, and studies show it can protect against developing heart disease, cancer, and dementia.

Iron and Manganese

A half cup of dried lentils is the nutritional equivalent of 100 percent of your body’s manganese requirements and can meet nearly 50 percent of your iron needs. Manganese plays a role in maintaining normal blood sugar level and helps protect against free-radical damage. Free radicals can trigger a number of humans disease by unbalancing the immune system and speeding up the aging process. A big source of manganese is whole wheat, a restricted food if you have gluten-sensitivities or celiac disease.

Since the highest iron-containing foods are meats, if you are vegetarian, you need to find an iron source elsewhere, and lentils and spinach are going to be your main plant-based sources of iron. Iron plays an important part in forming hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin carries oxygen to your cells. If your body is lacking in iron and hemoglobin, you may feel lethargic and tired. This is a potential sign of anemia, the condition when your red blood count drops too low. 

Different Colors of Lentils

For the most part, you can substitute any color lentil for another, although some do cook up firmer than others. It helps to know the ins and outs of cooking lentils. Red, yellow, and orange lentils cook the fastest since the seed hulls have been removed. If cooked too long, these lentils can lose shape and become mushy.

If your lentil recipe calls for a lentil that should retain its shape when done, common brown lentils are a good choice. These are the easiest to find in grocery stores. Brown lentils still have their seed coat and have not been split. 

Preparing Lentils

As you are measuring out your lentils, carefully pick through them. Lay them out and check for small lentil-sized pebbles that sometimes make it into the package. These little rocks can sneak into stews or soups and be an unwelcome surprise.

Whether you are following a lentil recipe or substituting lentils for another ingredient, you may need to determine the quantity of dried lentils needed. A few equivalents will make this conversion simple.

Dry LentilsEquivalent
1 cup 2 1/2 cups cooked
1 pound 2 1/3 cups dry lentils
1 pound 14 servings
1 pound7 cups cooked

Virtual Food Drive – for shutdown helps and needs -Jeffco Eats

We know how much you want to help and we want your efforts to do the most good!

Did you know only 1% of the food we distribute comes from community food drives?

JEFFCO EATS is a partner with Food Bank of the Rockies because we can help five times as much with food needs in collaboration with their skills and economies of scale buying and distribution power.  We are going to launch a food drive in next week. Email : jeffcoeats@gmail.com if you want to help.

While we certainly accept non-perishable food and essentials, food drives can actually be cumbersome, costly and time consuming for all involved. Because we’re able to procure food at wholesale or lower costs, we hope you’ll consider some fun, new ways to give back.

What Happens With Traditional Food Drives?

  • When food is collected, donors either go shopping and pay full price for food or they clean out their pantries.
  • They must take the food to the collection location.
  • Food is stored during the drive and then delivered to our warehouse or picked up by our drivers.
  • Every item must be inspected, sorted, cleaned if needed and re-boxed for distribution.
  • Sometimes jars break and cans get dangerously dented, so some food ends up getting thrown away.
  • Some donated items are too old or unsafe to distribute.
  • Sometimes our barrels are mistaken for trash cans and we have to make sure any trash is discarded and items that come in contact with it are cleaned or thrown away.

Why Is Money Better?

  • We can distribute 5 pounds of food (4 meals) for every dollar we receive!
  • Food comes in or we pick it up by the truckload from grocers, manufacturers, wholesalers, farmers and ranchers.
  • Most if it is ready to distribute and requires less handling.
  • We can also distribute fresh produce and perishable frozen and refrigerated foods.
  • No donation is too small! Even a quarter can provide a meal to someone in need.
  • 96 cents of every dollar we receive goes to our food distribution program.
  • We’re accredited by the BBB and have held a 4-star (highest) rating from Charity Navigator for 8 consecutive years, putting us in the top 2% of charities nationwide! We will use your donations wisely.

Virtual Food Drives
$1 = 5 Pounds of Food!

I’m Ready
to Host
My Drive!

CLICK HERE

We’re here to assist with ideas that can nourish our hungry neighbors.

It’s Easy to Host a Virtual Food Drive

Please consider hosting a virtual food drive instead of, or in addition to a traditional drive. It’s effective, secure and convenient to set up on our website! You’ll get your own page to customize and a link to share via email and social media.

Create a competition at your office or for your team or group and see who can raise the most, all without driving to the store or collecting cans.

If you’re celebrating a special event or remembering/honoring a friend or loved one, you can host a virtual food drive too.

A $20 donation can fill an entire barrel full of food!LEARN MORE AND GET STARTED

Mobile Food Pantry = Jeffco Eats

We serve each week 18 or more mobile locations. We only serve schools and apartment complexes in our program. Our locations are during school year :

  1. Lasley Elementary –  1401 S Kendall Street Lakewood CO 80232

Liaison –  Kimberly Ophaug – 303 982 9729     kimberly.ophaug@jeffco.k12.co.us

  • Mulholm Elementary – 6000 W 9th avenue Lakewood CO   303 982 6240 Liaison – Dolores Barela   303 982 6229  dolores.barela@jeffco.k12.co.us
  • Emory Elementary – 1275 S Teller Drive Lakewood CO

Liaison – Andrea Syko – 303 982 7381   Andrea.Syko@jeffco.k12.co.us/   . 25 bags

  • Everitt Middle School – 3900 Kipling St, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033   (303) 982-1580

Liaison:  Edgar.Solis@jeffco.k12.co.us   303 982 2869

Social Worker – Sarah Booster – 303 982 1521

  • Edgewater Elementary School – 5570 W 24th Ave, Edgewater, CO 80214  (303) 982-6050 Liaison :  Anna Contreras – 303 982 6064   anna.contreras@jeffco.k12.co.us/ 45 bags
  • Rose – Stein Elementary – 80 S Teller Street Lakewood CO 303 982 9144Liaison – Melissa Alvarez  303 982 9144   Melissa.AlvarezLizano@jeffco.k12.co.us

               Liaison: Susana:  Susana.TelleriaWanken@jeffco.k12.co.us – Bags and snacks

  • Deane Elementary – 580 S Harlan Ave Lakewood  303 982 9655  Liaison:  Leticia Herman PRODUCE ONLY
  • Bear Creek K 8 –  Amber Smits – 920 265 5806  9601 W Dartmouth Pl, Lakewood, CO 80227 School phone : 303 982 8714
  • Carmody Middle School – 2050 S Kipling St, Denver, CO 80227; 303 982 8930.

        Call Lisa 208 390   0293 or Andrea 303 870 6808

  1. City of Lakewood Head Start Program – , nutrition coordinator, 303 275 3446.  20 bags  address: 7735 W Florida Lakewood CO Sherry Peterson  HEAD START ADMINISTRATOR
  1. Vivian Elementary – Molly Doyle Liaison, 10500 W 25th Ave, Lakewood,                     school 303 982 7670, cell for molly doyle    817.319.7376.      Molly.Doyle@jeffco.k12.co.us   
  1. Lumberg Elementary – 6705 W 22nd Ave, Edgewater, CO 80214 ; school phone 303 982 6182. Liaison mcastroor@jeffco.k12.co.us  phone 303 982 6173. Pilar Castro Reino. PRODUCE ONLY
  2. McLain High – . 13600 W 2nd Pl, Lakewood, CO 80228  Leader: Sheri Randolph  303 668 4466 //Jeanne.Stongle@jeffco.k12.co.us

      15.      Arvada Head Start –  5150 Allison St, Arvada, CO 80002  720 497 7900

Jean Gore <jgore@co.jefferson.co.us>
Cc: Christopher Cummins <ccummins@co.jefferson.co.us>

Section 8 – Metro West Housing Solutions – Danielle Dillon 303 987 7760

  1. Maplewood Apartments- 856 s van Gordon ct Lakewood co Kristi Walsh 7202178139
  1. Bel Mar Groves Apartments – 259 s teller street Lakewood co Becky Sanders 720 214 8134
  1. Marston Point Apartments – 7875 w Mansfield pkwy Lakewood Becky Weidhaas 720 214 8162
  1. Cedar Grove Apartments -Cedar Ave – 6990 W Cedar ave Lakewood Co Kristi Walsh 720214 8138
  1. 5800 Apartments – 5800 W Alameda Avenue Lakewood CO, 720 214 7324 or 303 987 7328   Emmanuel brito, manager, martha is assistant and Anya works front desk area.

the day they get the sacks in best day of the week

“heard from Amber that some kids tell her that the day they get the sacks is the best day of the week because they get food! “

Why would you want to support Jeffco Eats, because we are bottom line helping kiddos every day not be hungry… these are real children with real hunger. this school is in Lakewood and is k through 8 and not a title one school.

Food in picture is fresh foods we give to school cooking classes to learn to cook and get to eat…this is a high school in Lakewood

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