Highlights is a 30 minute weekly TV show featuring organizations, events, grass-roots efforts and people who move our state and community forward in a positive way.
The show is a collaboration with Kanawha County Schools, Suddenlink Communications and Jim Strawn & Company.
The show airs daily at 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Suddenlink’s channel 17.
The show airing July 29, 2019 – August 5, 2019 highlights Manna Meal and the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council.
We interviewed Tara Martinez, Executive Director, of Manna Meal, and Betsy Casto, Chair of Resources Development Committee.
Tara, who has been in her position almost 2 years, discussed the Manna Meal purpose and mission.
Manna Meal is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that operates a soup kitchen located inside St. John’s Episcopal Church in the heart of downtown Charleston, WV. They thrive through the generosity and support of our community to provide a safe haven, no questions asked. Manna Meal is not a government agency and rely solely on contributions from our community and grants that they write.
They have been feeding the hungry of the Kanawha Valley since 1976. Over that period of time, they have grown from serving a single person a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bowl of soup, to a vital part of the community serving as many as 400 people each day well balanced nutritious meals.
They serve two meals a day (breakfast & lunch), 365 days a year, to individuals and families that include the homeless, mentally challenged, under-employed workers as well as people who simply cannot make ends meet.
“No questions asked,” is a cornerstone of their mission. They believe strongly that they do not need to ask any questions about your income, faith, or housing situation to feed you.
Bottom line: their mission is “so the hungry can eat”.
Betsy discussed her new role and talked about their upcoming event, 10th Annual Bean Stringin at the Capitol Market.
The event is set for Saturday, August 10, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Capitol Market in Charleston, WV.
This year’s event marks the 10 anniversary of this popular event. So they have established a goal of 1000 lbs of green beans. Last year they hit 650 lbs.
There will be live music, corn on the cob, and auction items to bid on.
You could bring your own beans to string or the Capitol Market vendors will have beans available to purchase so you can join in on the fun.
They are looking for volunteers to help them out with setup, cleanup, silent auction, and packaging the stringed beans. Send them an email if you want to help out: beanstringin@mannameal.org.
Call them with any questions. 304-345-7121.
We also talked with Dedriell Taylor, Director of Philanthropy for the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council.
She discussed the campaign, ‘To Get Her There’.
This campaign is a national Girl Scouts campaign in which each council uses their own strategy to raise funds needed. The campaign is the largest fundraising campaign for girls in history with a goal of $1 billion by 2020.
To learn more and to donate, click here.
Through your gift to this campaign fund, GSBDC is able to:
- Provide creative program experiences in a safe and nurturing environment.
- Provide leader training to our adult volunteers.
- Maintain and update our council properties and camps.
- Ensure the safety of our girls via adult volunteer background checks.
Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council is holding a CEO Reception on August 22, 2019 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the WV Governor’s Mansion.
If you would like to learn more about the Highlights TV Show, contact Host and Executive Producer Jim Strawn at 304-541-4756.
