DEAR SUN SPOTS: Please consider joining the welcoming and inclusive Central Maine Healthcare volunteer family.

CMH volunteers are the health system’s community ambassadors for healthy and compassionate living. Our volunteers serve patients, support families and assist in delivering health care services with compassion, competence and dignity.

Volunteers serve across the CMH system supporting departments within the organization and at its hospitals in Lewiston, Bridgton and Rumford, as well as at primary practices, therapy services and residential care.

Volunteers bring a wide variety of talents, energy and fun to CMH and are an integral part of the human experience. We look forward to meeting you!

You may contact Volunteer Services at volunteering@cmhc.org or at 795-2472. — Ashley, no town

ANSWER: This is very good to know. I didn’t realize volunteers were needed in all these supporting departments and I’m happy to help you get the word out.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Lotus Restaurant in Auburn has the best string beans ever. If they are willing to share their recipe with you, would you please share it with your readers? — No name, no town

ANSWER: I haven’t been able to get the recipe, but perhaps you could ask to talk to one of the owners next time you go in. In the meantime, this recipe is very popular with my family and it’s so delicious.

Stir Fry Green Beans: Bring a pot of water to a boil, season with salt and add 1 pound fresh green beans (or 1 pound frozen thawed green beans). Boil for one minute, drain and rinse with cold water, then place on a kitchen towel to dry thoroughly. If vegetables aren’t dry when you add them to the hot wok or pan, they will splatter and braise instead of fry.

Combine 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and wine or sherry in a small bowl. Combine 1 tablespoon each minced garlic and minced ginger with 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in another small bowl.

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or a 12-inch skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan.

Add garlic and ginger, stir-frying for no more than 10 seconds then add green beans to the pan and stir. Add soy sauce and wine or sherry and stir-fry for one to two minutes, until the beans are crisp-tender.

Two tablespoons of sesame seeds or flaked almonds can also be added to the pan at the last minute. Serves 4.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I save the plastic bags the paper comes in for a week or so and then put them in a bag outside for the carrier to reuse. — Greta, Weld

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In my humble opinion, the best use for the newspaper sleeves, as a writer at the Sun Journal wrote some time ago, is to return them to the carrier. Apparently, they must be purchased by the carrier, not the newspaper.

Thank you for your very informative column. — Vince, no town

ANSWER: I agree that if these plastic bags are in reusable condition, it makes the most sense to bundle them up, leave them for the carrier, and know that you’re saving them some money.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name. We won’t use it if you ask us not to. Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.