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Around the world people prepare special foods for the new year to symbolize luck or wealth, often drawing on traditions that date back centuries.

MONTREAL — Increasing demand for food assistance this year, coupled with a regular spike in users during the holiday season, has strained Canadian food banks this month, the directors of multiple Canadian food bank associations say.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska's Republican governor on Friday reiterated his rejection of $18 million in federal funding to help feed children who might otherwise go hungry while school is out.

LONDON (AP) — Sloe gin is a festive old English drink that's especially well-suited to the winter holidays . You can drink it over ice, try it in a cocktail , or forage for sloe berries and make a home batch.

With labor-intensive holiday meals out of the way, this week calls for ease — without sacrificing flavor. Which is why traybakes are the perfect antidote.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa will not participate this summer in a federal program that gives $40 per month to each child in a low-income family to help with food costs while school is out, state officials have announced.

CONCORD, N.H.

Thousands of struggling families in New York City are enduring unacceptably long wait times for emergency food and cash aid because of delays that violate a 2005 federal court order, advocacy groups said in new legal filings.

As the end of the year speeds toward us, we've kicked into full-on gift-giving mode . And nothing makes folks feel more appreciated than a homemade gift, especially one they can eat and share. For me, granola is always the answer.

I’m as dazzled by a beautifully decorated holiday cookie as the next person, but when it comes to wielding a pastry bag myself, I’m not a pro. I’m much more about the cookies than the piping.