Last Call: Matching Little Libraries With Food Donations Is A Genius Idea

I love seeing the various Little Libraries that dot my neighborhood—small wood boxes on a stand filled with books that some residents have donated, for others to borrow, no questions asked. I actually donate to them a lot more than I take, but I like the concept of things being used instead of wasted, especially among my own community.

So I read with interest this news story today about "Angel Boxes" in Utah that use the same concept, but for food. The Herald Journal in Logan, Utah reports that "at least two boxes and three porch pantries in Cache Valley [are] being hosted by members of the group Families Feeding Families." Similar to the Little Libraries, people put their excess food in the Angel Boxes or on the porch pantries, and those in need pick them up. Says a Families Feeding Families spokesperson, "We have a lot of people in our community that are hungry and going without, and they just can't afford [food]... At the end of the month, sometimes our paychecks just don't stretch, and so we have food and things available for people that are trying to make till the end of the month." This is a simple yet extremely practical and helpful concept that deserves to go nationwide. [Gwen Ihnat]

There's a long-running game show in the U.K. called Countdown, a show that tests your word-scrambling and number-crunching skills. There's a separate game show in the U.K. called 8 Out of 10 Cats, which quizzes a celebrity panel on opinion polls. A few years ago, the two shows mashed up into an hour-long program called 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, hosted by comedian Jimmy Carr. I watched it for the first time over my holiday break, and its Christmas special is supremely weird, brainy, and hilarious. You may like it too. [Kevin Pang]