A rose to our area’s soup kitchens, which for a combined 29 years have provided meals to the hungry in Columbus and Starkville. Loaves and Fishes in Columbus is expected to serve 84,000 meals this year, a number that has increased steadily since 2020. It serves six days a week and typically serves 300 to 350 meals per day, none of which would be possible without the help of churches and civic clubs who have donated food and volunteered hours to support the feeding program over the past 15 years. Meanwhile in Starkville, Casserole Kitchen serves around 150 sit-down meals per week, something it has been doing for 14 years now. For a hungry person, every meal is something of a miracle, so we salute all the “miracle workers” at Loaves and Fishes and Casserole Kitchen and urge residents to support their efforts.
A rose to Graham Roofing for taking a proactive approach to a problem and in doing so has provided access to a job in the roofing industry through a three-day program that introduces prospective employees to the profession. The General Aniline and Film Roofing (GAF) program has been partnering with roofing companies since 2019 after a decline in labor. This week, nine students – all provided with $250 stipends – took part in the program, learning the various aspects of the roofing industry. At the end of the training, all nine interviewed for jobs, where the average starting salary is $25,000 and the median salary is $45,000. Roofing jobs are not easy, but they do provide a living wage and a skill that roofers can take with them almost anywhere. We applaud Graham Roofing for hosting the program and GAF trainers for providing this career training.
A rose to the Greater Starkville Development Partnership for hosting a series of educational panel sessions for new and existing businesses. The B.A.I.L. series includes educational business sessions from June 7 to Dec. 6 at the Starkville Community Theater at 108 E. Main St. The series is open to anyone who wants to learn ways to improve their business and network with banking, accounting, insurance and legal service providers. The first panel will feature representatives from five banks in Starkville: Renasant Bank, Guarantee Bank, Cadence Bank, BankFirst and The First Bank. The accounting panel will be held Aug. 2, the insurance panel on Oct. 4 and the legal session on Dec. 6. For new business owners, these panels are an introduction to areas vital to their success, regardless of the nature of their business. For existing business owners, the panels update them on the ever-changing nature of each panel topic. We congratulate the Partnership for providing this important program in support of local businesses.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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