bransonglobe.com LOCAL Failed fundraiser brings tiny Stone County village together Submitted to Branson Globe What started out as a fundraiser for a storm siren has turned into a weekly meal program for a small rural community in Stone County. McCord Bend Village Trustee Chairman Mandi Carr explained that the stay-at-home order went into place just days before the village was set to raise funds for a storm siren. Between bad weather and the stay-at-home order, the fundraiser – a cookout on the river during the opening of spoonbill season - was a bust. The failed fundraiser was not the village’s biggest concern however. Village trustees found themselves with a freezer full of hamburgers and hotdogs and a community reeling from the devastating effects of the stay-at-home order, the stayat-home order that resulted from the coronavirus pandemic. “Many people in our community are low-income,” Carr said. “After the stay-at-home order was put into place, most of our residents found themselves unemployed and waiting to receive unemployment benefits.” She said many residents struggled to put food on their tables and provide meals for their children. “The food provided to families with children by the school system made a difference, but still left many gaps unfilled,” Carr explained. “There are many families without school-age children and many individuals who were unable to get to groceries due to health concerns.” The board soon decided to do what they could to help. They tapped into the village’s emergency fund and began providing hot meals to village residents, serving on average 75 meals each week. Village board members have also stepped up, volunteering, donating food and equipment. In addition to the hot meals, board members volunteered to run errands and get groceries for those at-risk. “As residents of our small community and board trustees, we know our neighbors,” Carr said. SEE McCORD BEND, PAGE 8 July 22 - 23, 2020 • 5 McCord Bend Village Trustees Lou Boswell, from left, Craig Shirkey and Mandi Carr, along with other volunteers including Skaggs Legacy Endowment Grants Committee Chairman Nita Jane Ayres, served 80 meals July 11. Photo courtesy of Nita Jane Ayres
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