Haywood Pathways

David Carikker

January 19, 2021 Program

David Carikker is Director of Development at Pathways.  He has many years of leadership and development experience within non-profit organizations which include the Salvation Army and the Boys & Girls Club.

Dave gave us some background on the history of Pathways which started in 2013 when they flipped the prison.  In January 2015 the kitchen opened.  In 2017 Mandy Haycock came aboard and it went from being just an emergency shelter to a living facility.  In 2019 they added a women and children’s shelter. 

Individuals can stay there up to 6 months.  They must be drug and alcohol free.  They are held accountable to Pathways policies and procedures and are directed to set out individual goals.  There is also a program called Cold Grace where people can come in to the dining area have dinner. a place to sleep, breakfast, and lunch for up to 3 days.  Now there is a Holy Cow food truck which is a social enterprise venture to help support the financial needs of Haywood Pathways.  Needs are prayers, funding, and gifts in kind. 

Master Gardener

Jim Janke

January 12, 2021 Program

Jim Janke is a retired chemical engineer originally from Pittsburgh, PA. In 2004 he and his wife, Pat, moved from the Chicago area to Waynesville. In 2005 Jim became an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Haywood county.

Jim Janke has written more than 250 gardening articles for the Mountaineer. Jim teaches several subjects in each new Master Gardener Class, and does gardening presentations to local groups. Outside of gardening, he enjoys Programming donor management and other databases for local non-profits. and writing occasional op-ed history piecesfor the Mountaineer. Jim’s other passions include astronomy, , classical music, computers,gardening history,Star Trek, and wine.

Jim spoke to our club about how to prepare the soil for our garden. He spoke about soil additives, fertilizers, and the best ways to optimize our space and resourses in our gardens. Jim also talked about planting and growing tomatoes. Thank you, Jim, for sharing your time and knowledge with us.

Healthy Living

Leah McGrath

January 5, 2021 Program

Leah McGrath is the dietitian at Ingles. She has been a Registered Dietitian since 1996. Leah holds degrees in Speech Communications and Human Nutrition and has completed course work towards a master’s degree in Marketing. After resigning her active duty commission in the Army, Leah worked for almost two years with the South Carolina Department of Public Health. In 2000 Leah accepted the position with Ingles Supermarkets as their Corporate Dietitian and moved to Asheville, NC.

Leah writes regularly for WNC Parent Magazine, Upstate Parent Magazine, Smoky Mountain News and Smoky Mountain Living magazine and the Asheville Citizen Times. She is a frequent guest on WLOS-TV (ABC) in Asheville and Your Carolina in Greenville SC where she presents recipe and nutrition information segments. She also hosts the weekly radio program, “Ingles Information Aisle” on WWNC 570am which can be heard anywhere in the world through the Iheart radio network.

In the past few years Leah has become well known for her work in social media and is currently the most followed supermarket dietitian (@InglesDietitian) in the U.S on Twitter.  She coordinates both the Facebook and Twitter accounts for Ingles Markets and has developed innovative strategies to connect brands and products to consumers and inform customers about health and nutrition.

Leah proceeded to give us hints for healthy living.  Hints such as pick nutrient dense foods such as a baked potato over fries. Another hint is to choose a variety of food options from each category.   A third hint is to pay attention to portion sizes.  She stated that beverages have lots of empty calories.  Leah stated that the food pyramid is out and instead “my plate” is what is used today.  She told us in 2021 packaging is changing to reflect how people are shopping. Also, stores are pairing down and increasing or decreasing items as needed.  Leah said prices are on the increase.  Thank you Leah for all the great information.

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