The St. Michael Community Kitchen is seeking volunteers to help prepare, serve and deliver meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

The Community Kitchen serves about 150 people each day free of charge, including meals delivered to homebound residents. Volunteers also collect food donations throughout the week from Walmart, City Market, The Memorial Hospital and Village Inn, to be served with the meal or made available for people to take home. 

Meals are served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursdays.

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Volunteers are especially needed on Thursdays to help serve and clean up during and after the meal, starting from about 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. A weekly commitment is not required; individuals are welcome to volunteer once per month.

For more information or to sign up to volunteer, call Robin Schiffbauer at 970-824-7148 or 970-629-8042.

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BLM announces Annual Spring Fever Fun Run

The Bureau of Land Management Little Snake Field Office announced its 2nd Annual Spring Fever Fun Day event scheduled for Sept. 19 in the Sand Wash Basin. The event was originally scheduled for May 16, but was postponed due to weather.  

Yampa Valley OHV Trailriders and Stay the Trail Colorado are partnering with the BLM for this Off Highway Vehicle Event designed to introduce the public to motorized trails in the popular Sand Wash Basin.  

“This fun and educational event is open to ATVs, UTVs and 4×4 high-clearance vehicles and is a great opportunity to experience some of the rarely explored features the area has to offer,” Gina Robison, outdoor recreation planner for the BLM Little Snake Field Office in Craig, said in a statement. “We’ll also help off-highway vehicle operators test the noise levels of their vehicles.”  

Colorado Parks and Wildlife enforce noise constraints for off-highway vehicles.  Vehicles that produce sound greater than 96 decibels exceed sound limits.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the BLM’s corral facility on County Road 67. The guided ride begins at 9:15 a.m. and will last approximately six hours. Camping is available Friday and Saturday nights and participants camping Saturday will be treated to a hotdog and marshmallow roast.  Saturday’s event includes exploring Sand Wash, a raffle, free sound testing and other activities. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch for Saturday’s ride.  

Contact Gina Robison at 970-826-5083 or email grobison@blm.gov to pre-register.

11 horses test positive for West Nile Virus

Eleven equine cases of West Nile Virus have been diagnosed in nine Colorado counties as of Monday. The WNV positive horses are from Alamosa, Boulder, Broomfield, Conejos, Fremont, Jefferson, Larimer, Park and Weld counties.

The incidence of WNV disease varies from year to year and depends on a number of factors, including the amount of mosquitos. The West Nile virus can be carried by infected birds and then spread locally by mosquitoes that bite those birds. The mosquitoes can then pass the virus to humans and animals. Horses are a “dead-end host” meaning they pose no threat to public health but they can be severely affected by physical symptoms.

Important information for horse owners:

■ Mitigate the mosquito populations and possible mosquito breeding areas on your property.

■ Take precautions to develop methods to repel mosquitos from biting your horse.

■ Contact a veterinarian if horses exhibit clinical signs consistent with WNV so that a proper diagnosis can be obtained — clinical signs include head tilt, muscle tremors, lack of coordination, weakness of the limbs or partial paralysis.

■ Be aware that clinical signs of WNV are consistent with other important neurological diseases such as equine encephalitis, rabies, and equine herpes virus so work with your veterinarian to get an accurate diagnosis through laboratory testing.

■ Consult a veterinarian on appropriate prevention strategies.

■ Vaccinate your horses for WNV as it is a very effective prevention tool.

■ Protect yourself by using appropriate WNV preventive activities suggested by public health experts (see web site below).

For more information concerning WNV and the number of U.S. counties that have confirmed test-positive human and veterinary cases such as horses, visit diseasemaps.usgs.gov/mapviewer.

Village Inn to host 3rd campaign to honor vets

This fall, Village Inn is kicking off its third annual “Serving Those Who Serve Us” campaign to honor teachers, first responders and veterans who go above and beyond by serving the community every single day, even during their time off, and can’t always attend family events and holidays throughout the year due to their professions.

Whether it’s a teacher dedicating their extra time to students, a doctor on call, a firefighter working during a family gathering, a police officer on duty during the holidays, or an active or retired military service man or woman from the local community — Village Inn wants to make sure they are recognized for their outstanding service and rewarded with a sweet treat to share with their colleagues and loved ones.

To nominate a teacher, a first responder or a veteran, simply go to Village Inn’s website or to villageinn.com/serving

thosewhoserveus, and tell Village Inn about a deserving individual who continuously goes above and beyond to serve their community.

Nominations are now open, and will close Nov. 11. Selected nominees will be limited to participating Village Inn markets. Winners will be chosen throughout the promotional period, and the total number of winners will depend on the number of contestants. Selected winners will receive The Best Pie in America and enjoy a dozen free whole pies in addition to a $20 Village Inn gift card.

Through this program, Village Inn will recognize individuals, across the nation, who positively contribute to their communities on a daily basis.

Paper welcomes reader photo submissions

The Craig Daily Press welcomes photo submissions from community members. If you have cool photos you took while on vacation, camping or hunting, or even photos of your child’s birthday party, submit them to editor@CraigDailyPress.com.

Photos must be at least one megabyte in size and clear, meaning blurry photos should not be submitted. Include the name of those in the photo, along with the date and place it was taken. The newspaper prefers recent and timely photos.