annual food-rescue campaign taking donations

County’s

Lee County Solid Waste’s fifth annual “Donated not Wasted” food rescue campaign encourages seasonal residents and visitors to donate unopened pantry items before returning north

Join Solid Waste, the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Waste Pro, Lee County Library System, Sanibel Public Library and Lee County Parks & Recreation to help route food that might otherwise end up in the waste stream to the county's population of people in need Drop off unopened canned or dry goods from now through April 10 at open libraries or county recreation centers. Additional collection containers are at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Interpretive Center and Lee County Solid Waste’s Topaz Court Facility

The drop-off locations include:

Recreation centers

∫ Estero Recreation Center, at 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd , Estero

∫ North Fort Myers Recreation Center, at 2000 North Recreation Park Way, North Fort Myers

∫ Veterans Park Recreation Center, at 55 Homestead Road S , Lehigh Acres

Librar y locations

∫ Bonita Springs Public Library, at 10560 Reynolds St , Bonita Springs

∫ Cape Coral-Lee County Public Library, at 921 S W 39th Terrace, Cape Coral

F.I.S.H. continues to assist neighbors

F I S H of Sanibel-Captiva reported that its food pantry is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a m to 3 p m It also thanked volunteers who recently helped to make the space easier to navigate with the installation of new shelving In addition, F I S H c o n t i n u t h e Hurricane Ian Point of Distribution (POD) program on Fridays from 1 to 2 p m at 2430 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel The program is available to Sanibel-Captiva residents and workers on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last Items may include, but are not limited to, mattresses, bed frames, chairs, tables, accent furniture and more For more information about either program, contact Program Coordinator M a n u e l a M a r t i n e z a t 2 3 9 - 4 7 2 - 4 7 7 manuela@fishofsancap org

∫ Dunbar-Jupiter Hammon Public Library, at 3095 Blount St , Fort Myers

∫ East County Regional Library, at 881 Gunnery Road, Lehigh Acres

∫ Fort Myers Regional Library, at 2450 First St , Fort Myers

∫ Johann Fust Community Library, at 1040 W 10th St , Boca Grande

∫ North Fort Myers Public Library, at 2001 N Tamiami Trail, North Fort Myers

∫ Northwest Regional Library, at 519 N. Chiquita Blvd N , Cape Coral

∫ Pine Island Public Library, at 10701 Russell Road, Bokeelia

∫ Sanibel Public Library, at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel

∫ South County Regional Library, at 21100 Three Oaks Parkway, Estero

Others

∫ Six Mile Cypress Slough Interpretive Center, at 7751 Penzance Blvd , Fort Myers

∫ Topaz Court Solid Waste Annex, at 6441 Topaz Court, Fort Myers

Since the program's inception, 25,385 pounds of food has been diverted from potential disposal and sent to Harry Chapin enough food to provide more than 21,000 meals to residents.

Recipe of the Week: Crab and Goat Cheese Strudel with Lavender Sauce

By CHEF LORETTA PAGANINI

Strudel is a classic dessert from Eastern Europe; thin dough is stretched out and filled, then rolled up and baked until crisp. It is everyone favorite, whether it is savory or sweet and in a variety of fillings This easy savory version uses phyllo dough instead of the time-consuming classic dough, and it is filled with crab meat, vegetables and goat cheese Serves eight (Chef tip: Defrost phyllo dough in the refrigerator overnight before using it Keep the dough covered until ready to use )

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot, minced sliced

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red and/or yellow pepper, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked through

1 teaspoon fresh chives, finely chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

For strudel assembly:

8 fresh phyllo pastry sheets or frozen, thawed

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Lavender sauce:

1/2 shallot, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon lavender

2 cups dry white wine

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubed