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Labor of Love
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Ava Barr, left, with Central United Methodist Church, Jo Ann Wheeler, with Poplar Springs United Methodist Church and Jackie Usey, program coordinator with the Society of St. Andrew, pick strawberries from Randy Mathis' farm. The organization and local volunteers will donate the strawberries to LOVE's Kitchen and God's Warehouse of Sturgis.
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Jessica Gilbert, left, and Morgan Hillhouse, with God's Warehouse in Sturgis, fill up boxes with freshly-picked strawberries that will be donated to their organization from the Mathis farm.
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Strawberries help feed America’s needy
Walking through green rows in a field with a picturesque blue sky above can only be enhanced by a cool breeze blowing the scent of fresh strawberries in your direction.
That's exactly what you get when stepping onto Randy Mathis's property in north Clark County where he has endless patches of strawberries and orchards of peaches. Mathis has generously donated his produce to help those in need.
Each year an organization called the Society of St. Andrew works with farmers and volunteers gleaning fields to help feed America's hungry. Tuesday the group and volunteers gathered at Mathis's farm to pick strawberries and peaches which will be donated to LOVE's Kitchen of Meridian and to God's Warehouse in Sturgis.
Jackie Usey, program coordinator with SoSA's Mississippi Gleaning Network, works each year to find farmers that allow them to salvage their fields after harvest, bringing millions of pounds of food to the needy.
American consumers tend to expect top quality and produce is only marketable if it is perfect, without blemishes or imperfections. You've heard the saying, "one man's garbage is another man's treasure," well the food gathered is certainly not garbage, but it is definitely a treasure.
Robert Fritchey, regional director, said the organization does this across the state and this is just the beginning of the season. They look forward to finding more farmers and volunteers to help them continue their project.
They can be contacted through their Web site at www.endhunger.org, or by calling their offices at (601) 850-4018.
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Honing Skills
The men and women who make up Lauderdale County's volunteer fire departments all have one thing in common – the desire to protect and serve their community.
Of course these volunteers don't get paid for their service, and although some are retired, there are many, like Bo Land from the Martin community, who work full-time and have a family.
That means volunteer fire department members must train nights and weekends. -
MPD probing weekend incidents
Detectives with the Meridian Police Department are investigating two incidents that reportedly occurred Sunday, one of which was an alleged armed robbery and the other a shooting.
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Deadly accident claims two lives
Meridian police are investigating a single-vehicle traffic accident that killed two people and sent two others to a local hospital on Monday.
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Partnership formed to promote fire safety
Last year, Key Chapter of the American Red Cross responded to 116 single family fires in its seven-county service area – 48 of which were in Lauderdale County.
"That's fires with total or major destruction," said Susan Wehr, executive director of the Key Chapter. -
Happy Birthday Meridian
Sesquicentennial is a big word, but what it means is simple — A sesquicentennial is a 150th anniversary.
2010 is Meridian's sesquicentennial, and the celebrations here will begin this week and go on for the rest of the year. -
Navy League accepting scholarship applications
Each year, the Meridian Area Navy League awards two $500 scholarships to deserving students to help with costs of higher education. This year, however, the organization upped the ante and will bestow two $750 scholarships. -
Arbor Day program set for Tuesday
The Lauderdale County Welcome Center celebrates Mississippi's Arbor Day this week.
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Fans show team spirit at Temple viewing of Super Bowl XLIV
The smell of hot nachos and cold beer is all around you. You can see beads of sweat falling from Peyton Manning's brow as he hurls the ball. The voice of the announcer booms on the loudspeakers.
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Star of The Week: Megan Mowdy
Meridian Community College Sophomore Megan Mowdy lives to sing, and she loves to share her passion for music.
20-year-old Megan is a Kemper County resident, and her love of music helped her to become the first member of her family to attend college. -
4-H leader is driving force behind community service
MISSISSIPPI STATE – Newton’s business and civic leaders have always expected a visit from Johnnie Mae Walker on behalf of the annual 4-H bike-a-thon for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, but they grew worried when other people appeared in her place.
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