Cooking for Crowds safety training

AUGUSTA — University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Kennebec County will offer the Cooking for Crowds food safety training workshop twice in September on the third floor of the UMaine Extension Kennebec County office, 125 State St.

Crystal Hamilton, nutrition and food systems professional, will instruct volunteer quantity cooks on methods for safely preparing, handling and serving food for large groups of people, including at soup kitchens, church functions, food pantries and community fundraisers.

The workshops will be held 1-5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, and 1-5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Cost is $15 per person; scholarships are available. Register at umaine.edu/food-health/food-safety/cooking-for-crowds/ or call 207-622-7546. For more information, or to request a disability accommodation, call Diana Hartley at 207-622-7546 or 800-287-1481.

Training for 4-H Science Day

ORONO — University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a train-the-trainer workshop for those interested in leading 4-H National Youth Science Day experiments at their work site. Designed for 4-H volunteers, teachers, library staff and after-school or childcare providers, the workshop will be available via distance learning at sites throughout the state at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 and Oct. 7, and 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 12.

NYSD is held annually to promote programming that sparks interest and leadership in science, technology, engineering and math careers.

Fee for the training and materials is $25, $10 for current 4-H volunteers. Participants earn 0.2 CEU’s for completing the training, and will be asked to host the NYSD experiment within two months of training.

Registration and locations are at extension.umaine.edu/register/product/4-htrain-the-trainerworkshop. For more information, call 207-581-3877 or email [email protected].

Workshop series on modern families

PORTLAND — A free evening workshop series, “Step, Blended or Bonus: New Rules for the Modern Family,” for parents and professionals, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15, at Kids First Center, 222 St. John St., Suite 104.

This workshop is designed to benefit adults living in a stepfamily situation, as well as mental health or legal practitioners working with stepfamilies, but is not a replacement for the Kids First Program for Stepparents.

To register, call 207-761-2709 or email [email protected].

Eat Well Nutrition Program

FALMOUTH — University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Eat Well Nutrition Program will be offered 9:30-11 a.m. Tuesdays from Sept. 16 through Nov. 4 at the UMaine Extension office, 75 Clearwater Drive.

This program is free for income-eligible adults with dependent children. Participants will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the program, which includes hands-on food preparation, budgeting information and tips on how to shop at farmers’ markets and grocery stores. Eat Well Program graduates save an average of $36 per month on food bills, according to UMaine Extension.

To register or for information, call 207-781-6099 or email [email protected].

Food safety for volunteer cooks

FALMOUTH — University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a food safety workshop for volunteer cooks, 1-5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at University of Maine Regional Learning Center, 75 Clearwater Drive, Suite 104.

Cooking for Crowds offers up-to-date information on safely handling, preparing, storing and transporting food for large groups of people.

Cost is $15; partial scholarships are available. Register by Sept. 11 online at umaine.edu/food-health/food-safety/cooking-for-crowds. For more information, call 207-781-6099 or 1-800-287-1471.

Hospice conference, lecture

PORTLAND — The Hospice of Southern Maine Anne L. Hunter Memorial Thresholds Conference pre-conference lecture will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at Dana Education Center, Maine Medical Center.

The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at Holiday Inn by the Bay.

The conference is for medical professionals, spiritual leaders, caregivers and community members. Keynote speaker Christine Puchalski, MD, director of the George Washington University Institute for Spirituality and Health, is an internationally recognized leader, author and clinician. Celebrated poet Richard Blanco, who served as the fifth U.S. inaugural poet, will lead attendees in a creative session during the afternoon.

For more information or to register, visit www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/thresholds or call 207-289-3550. Early bird registration pricing available through Sept. 19.

Christian Writers plan conference

CHINA — The Maine Fellowship of Christian Writers will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a two day homecoming writing conference, “Cover to Cover,” on Sept. 19-20 at the China Lake Conference Center.

Guest author Susan Page Davis, who has published more than 40 historical romance and mystery novels, will share about writing and publishing along with eight other presenters.

The conference is open to writers of all genres and levels of experience. Registration is in advance. Housing is in dorm-like rooms on China Lake, 283 Neck Road.

For information, contact Susan Peaslee at [email protected]. For brochures, email Freddi Ladd, [email protected]. Information is also available online at www.mfcw.me.