Latest news with #AngieNelson
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Corby baby reindeer Lars gets ready to join herd
A baby reindeer who was growing up alongside pet spaniels is getting ready to rejoin his herd after he appeared to be starting to think he was a dog. Seven-week old Lars was born on a reindeer farm near Corby in Northamptonshire, but was struggling to thrive as his mother could not produce enough two days, owner Angie Nelson took him into her house alongside her pet dogs and fed him every two hours, with her friend Helen Chown stepping in to pair have been delighted by little Lars' progress, but Ms Chown joked: "When I found him in the dog bed, I thought 'you do need to go back and learn to be a reindeer'." Ms Nelson, who hires out reindeer for events, said when attempts to help his mother produce more milk were unsuccessful, she felt the only choice was to hand-rear said while the nightly feeds were demanding enough, Lars' friendly nature meant he also wanted constant attention and would nuzzle her as she slept with him on the lounge floor. After a couple of weeks, Ms Nelson said she felt comfortable enough to leave Lars in the kitchen at night with her two spaniels and they have been nestling up ever she said it was now time "let nature take over" and move onto the next step of "changing him into a reindeer". Ms Nelson said she was now preparing to choose him an older "buddy" from her herd that could look after him."It's important he becomes a reindeer now rather than a dog so he understands the herd hierarchy and what he shouldn't do," said Ms Nelson."It's about getting that buddy with him, so when he goes out into the bigger herd, he's protected and safe. "He will be looking to the older one for reassurance because I can't spend my entire life in the field, which I probably would." Lars' integration into the herd will signal the end of a busy few weeks for Ms Nelson, who juggled the unexpected arrival in her house with last-minute wedding friend and neighbour Ms Chown was passed the reins during wedding dress fittings and the honeymoon. "I didn't want to get anything wrong because he was so tiny," said Ms Chown. "Then it was just rewarding and, to see him now, he just looks amazing - it's like, 'yes, we've done it', so it's been fabulous."There will also be a lasting reminder of Lars' time with Ms Nelson as he took a starring role in her wedding photos with her groom, Justin Mumford."The animals are the way of life here, so we were going to have the pictures of the dogs in the barn and, of course, I had to have Lars," she added. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
A Minnesota mom's goal of making allergy-free lunches for schools
Thousands of acres burn in Minnesota wildfires, and more headlines Thousands of acres burn in Minnesota wildfires, and more headlines Thousands of acres burn in Minnesota wildfires, and more headlines When one Twin Cities mom discovered that her infant son had severe food allergies, it changed her life and inspired her to start her own business. Like every parent, Angie Nelson wanted to do the best for her kids. When she and her husband learned at six months at their first child Liam had four of the top nine food allergies, it lit a fire. "I want him to grow up eating the things that I got to eat," Nelson said. Walking the grocery aisles, she'd read every label and the fine print for safe foods, but noticed something was missing. "Why aren't there more options for meal solutions?" she recalled. In 2020, Nelson teamed up with former Mayo Clinic Chef Gilbert Junge to develop Liam's by Safer Plate. The meals are single-serve frozen entrees completely free of the top nine food allergens. A commercial kitchen in Eden Prairie produces 3,500 allergy-safe meals a week. They are then shipped to over 500 grocery stores and to an emerging market: schols. The number of children with at least one food allergy is steadily growing, with 5.6 million children — or 8% — allergic to some type of food. Boston Public Schools started serving Liam's meals this spring, and other school districts will come online in the fall. "The K-12 piece is a big opportunity for us. And it's a challenging opportunity but I think the more item that we can offer and fit in with what they would have as a cycle menu in schools is going to be the place that we're heading," said Junge. The schools are asking for allergy-safe versions of lunchroom favorites, like the cafeteria rectangle pizza made famous in the 1980s. "Right now, kids just go without it," said Junge. "So we are working on that line." But Junge and Nelson know all too well that it needs to look at taste like the "regular stuff." "So it's making the food exciting and something that Liam's buddy will say, 'hey what are you eating, I want to try that,'" said Nelson. It's all in an attempt to bring acceptance and lower anxiety for food allergic kids and adults. "A big dream of mine is to change the stigma of food allergies." said Nelson. Locally, Liam's Meals can be found in all Lunds & Byerlys, Valley Natural Foods, Kowalski's and select Target locations, along with Fresh Thyme and Hy-Vee stores.
