Gem City Doves #27

10/01/2026

We're back at Open Hands Food Pantry today with our first fall recipe!

Pumpkin Cake

*1 box spice cake mix (or yellow cake mix + 1 T pumpkin pie spice, or a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice)
*1 15oz can pumpkin
*1/4 c applesauce
*1/4 cup raisins, optional
*1/4 c chopped walnuts, optional

1. Add all ingredients and stir until well combined.
2. Bake according to cake mix directions.
3. Cool and serve. Ice if desired.

08/27/2026

Back at Open Hands Food Pantry!

Easy Fruit Crumble
*Uses canned fruit or pie filling*
Today’s is pumpkin pie filling!

Ingredients
1 can fruit (drained if very watery)
1 cup oats
¼ cup flour
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp oil or butter

Instructions
Put fruit in a baking dish.
Mix topping and sprinkle on top.
Bake at 350°F for ~25 minutes.

Very easy to swap ingredients out, such as:
Almond flour for flour
Sugar substitute for sugar (stevia, honey, maple syrup)
Add flax or chia seeds
Add nuts

08/06/2026

We didn't get a picture of today's Tomato Soup Cake at Open Hands Food Pantry before it disappeared! A few people were skeptical after hearing what it was, but most of them said it reminded them of a pumpkin cake. Do you know of any other recipes with surprising ingredients?

Tomato Soup Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 c water
3/4 c applesauce
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
*seasonings are optional and able to be substituted for taste

1. Preheat oven according to box directions.
2. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
3. Grease your pan of choice. Pour batter into pan. Bake according to box directions.
4. Let cool. Frost cake. Cream cheese icing is recommended, but today we used Cool Whip

07/09/2026

Today's recipe is Shepherd's Pie. This can be made with items received at Open Hands Food Pantry

• 6 cups cooked instant mashed potatoes
• 2 lbs lean ground meat OR 2 cups dry lentils OR a combination of the two.
• 5 cans condensed vegetable soup
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook meat over medium-high until browned. Rinse lentils and add to a pot with twice as much water as lentils. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain. Season filling with salt and pepper. Stir in soup, undiluted. Simmer for 5 minutes.
2. While filling is cooking, prepare potatoes according to package directions.
3. Preheat oven to 375F. Pour filling into bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top.
Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

06/29/2026

06/27/2026

I forgot to share Thursday's recipe from Open Hands Food Pantry ! They went super fast and were a big hit; even my teenager eats them.

Black bean burgers

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 c minced onion (about half a small onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 egg
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine black beans, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Roughly mash until you reach desired consistency. Fold in the egg, then add breadcrumbs.
2. Form 6-8 evenly sized patties. If they are too wet to hold their shape, place in the fridge to firm.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat and brush or spray the burgers with olive oil. Cook until they are charred on both sides, about 12 minutes.
4. Serve on buns with your favorite burger toppings.

06/11/2026

Good morning! Super easy recipe today! Check out Open Hands Food Pantry for any food needs and try the recipe today 10-2. 💚

Fancy Mashed Potatoes

2 TBSP leek soup mix (or other soup mix of your choosing)
4 cups mashed potatoes (instant or homemade)

1. If making instant potatoes then boil the water and add the soup mix. If making homemade potatoes dissolve the soup mix in a couple tablespoons of hot water.
2. Add the instant potatoes to the water or mix the dissolved soup into homemade potatoes
3. Add desired toppings (butter, chive, sour cream, cheese, etc)
4. Serve and enjoy!

06/06/2026

The weather behaved enough for the Harrison Hills Ice Cream Social with Quincy Neighborhood Federation to be super busy and fun! ☀️

Gem City Doves #27’s booth offered a bean bag toss game to win a variety of prizes. As always, the kids kept a big line for a majority of the evening!

With many other local and personal events going on we were only able to spare one Dove to manage the game. Thankfully, a couple of happy helpers were available 😉.

Thank you all who helped in one way or another for planning/set up/running the event/tear down to put this on for the kids! 🩷💚

06/03/2026

Making a difference doesn't always require grand gestures. Sometimes it starts with a helping hand, a kind heart, and a group of people willing to step up when their community needs them.

At Gem City Doves Lodge #27, we've spent the last two years working to make our community a little brighter. From volunteering with local organizations and supporting families in need to hosting fundraisers and community events, we've seen firsthand how much can be accomplished when people come together with a common purpose.

But our greatest accomplishment isn't measured in dollars raised or events completed—it's the friendships we've built and the sisterhood we've created along the way.

As we continue to grow, we're looking for women who want to make a positive impact, give back to their community, and become part of something bigger than themselves. Whether you're passionate about volunteering, helping others, meeting new friends, or simply looking for a place where you belong, we'd love to meet you.

Join us in making a difference, one act of kindness at a time.

💚🩷 Together we are stronger.
🩷💚 Together we create change.
💚🩷 Together we build community.

If you're interested in learning more about membership with Gem City Doves Lodge #27, send us a message. We'd love to share what we're all about!

05/25/2026

Two years ago, Gem City Doves Lodge #27 began with an idea, a purpose, and a hope of making a difference. Looking back now, it is amazing to see just how far we have come together.
From handing out food to families in need, setting up kids' games and activities, organizing fundraisers, and volunteering alongside multiple organizations, we have poured our hearts into helping raise money, supporting our community, and creating smiles along the way. Every event, every late night of planning, every helping hand, and every moment shared has become part of our story.
But beyond the volunteer hours and community work, we gained something even more meaningful — a sisterhood. A bond that none of us fully realized we needed, but one that has become one of the greatest blessings of this journey. Through challenges, laughter, stress, victories, and everything in between, we have stood beside one another and built something much bigger than a lodge. We built family.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Rebekah's Gem City Doves Lodge #27. Thank you to every member, every supporter, and everyone who has helped us along the way. Here's to celebrating where we've been and looking forward to all the good we will continue to do together.

We might be small, but we are mighty together,
Stronger through every season and every kind of weather.

Our road to beginning was not easy to pave,
But together we stood strong, together we were brave.

Through struggles and challenges we continued to rise,
With determination and hope shining bright in our eyes.

What started as a vision became so much more,
A sisterhood built deeply at its very core.

Through laughter and tears, side by side we have stayed,
Creating a bond that time cannot fade.

A sisterhood so strong, held together by heart,
One that will be hard for anyone to pull apart.
A.S.