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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

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Local News: Missing juvenile sought in Staunton, Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.
Local News: Grant to aid local Meals on Wheels, Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.
Local Events: AFP editor to participate in Big Read event today at Augusta County Library, Wednesday, 9:50 a.m.
Local News: EMU students spend spring break at home doing service projects, Wednesday, 9:50 a.m.  

  

Local News: Missing juvenile sought in Staunton, Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.

The Staunton Police Department is asking the public’s assistance in locating a missing juvenile. Din Kenyatta Brown, 16, left his residence at 605 Calvert St. on Dec. 20, 2008 shortly after noon. Although Din is originally from Lynchburg, it is believed that he may still be in the Staunton area.

Din is a black male, described as 5’5″ tall, 142 lbs, with black hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo on his left forearm.

Anyone having information about Din Brown is asked to call the Staunton Police Department at 540.332.3842 or Crime Stoppers at 800.322.2017.

  

Local News: Grant to aid local Meals on Wheels, Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.

The Valley Program for Aging Services has been awarded a $7,000 grant from Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) and the Wal-Mart Foundation to support our local program in doing what we do best – feed seniors. 

This past year, many Meals On Wheels programs were forced to change or reduce their services, because of severe operating constraints brought on by rising food and gas prices and the current economic crisis.  The “MOWAA/Wal-Mart Foundation Cure Grant” is intended to alleviate these burdens for Valley Program for Aging Services and help us prevent Meals on Wheels waiting lists in the Staunton and Waynesboro areas.

“With the MOWAA/Wal-Mart Foundation Cure Grant, we will be able to feed more of our senior clients in need and make a tremendous impact in our community,” said Jennifer Chestnut, Director of Senior Services, Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro.

According to a groundbreaking national research study entitled “The Causes, Consequences and Future of Senior Hunger in America,” which was commissioned by the MOWAA Foundation,
1 in 9 seniors in America is at risk of hunger. The fact that 11.4 percent of seniors in the country are at risk of hunger and the fact that the population is aging at an unprecedented rate put a significant strain on community-based Meals On Wheels programs’ ability to provide meals for those in need. The “MOWAA/Wal-Mart Foundation Cure Grant Program” is intended to increase the number of individuals served and reverse the forced reduction in meal services seen at Meals On Wheels programs throughout the nation.

“Unlike cancer or AIDS, we have the cure to end senior hunger in America today,” said Enid Borden, President and CEO of MOWAA.  “We can’t thank the Wal-Mart Foundation enough for supporting us in our mission and remembering the seniors we serve during this desperate time.”

    

Local Events: AFP editor to participate in Big Read event today at Augusta County Library, Wednesday, 9:50 a.m.

AFP editor Chris Graham will participate today in Falcon Out Loud, a live reading of The Maltese Falcon, the book that is the focus of the 2009 Big Read sponsored by the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge.

The Falcon Out Loud event is held weekdays at the Augusta County Library at noon.

Graham will be reading chapter three of the Dashiell Hammett book, which details the adventures of detective Sam Spade surrounding a mysterious lost treasure from the Middle Ages.

Click here for a full schedule for the 2009 Big Read.

  

Local News: EMU students spend spring break at home doing service projects, Wednesday, 9:50 a.m.

Each year over mid-semester (spring) break, several Eastern Mennonite University student groups spend the ten-day period doing service projects in various locales in the states – under the auspices of the Young People’s Christian Association (YPCA) – rather than going home or heading to warmer climes.

This year, for the first time, one group is devoting the entire break to service projects right here in Harrisonburg, Mar. 1-8.

Co-leaders Grace Schrock-Hurst and Rebekah Maldonado-Nofziger and Nathan Hershberger, Kaitlin Heatwole, Lucas Schrock-Hurst and Debbie Vasquez are working primarily with Our Community Place on North Main Street across from The Little Grill, and also helpig the Salvation Army and other local programs.

The group is living at the Dean House across Water Street from Community Mennonite Church. They are walking everywhere rather than using cars. They even borrowed Jonathan Lantz-Trissel’s special recycling cart to move their personal things from campus to the Dean House.

Other EMU groups are doing Christian service projects this week at Hattie Larlham Center for children with disabilities, Mantua, Ohio, and at Jubilee Partners in Comer, Ga.

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.