Salvation Army

TownTalk: Salvation Army Power Couple Ready to Help Henderson

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With about five weeks at their new posts with the Henderson Salvation Army, Majors Jonathan and Staci Gainey say they know one thing for sure: They want to stay, set down roots and have a positive impact in the community.

“We’re looking forward to being here for a very long time,” Jonathan said on Wednesday’s TownTalk. “We have no intentions of leaving.”

The couple got their assignment from the Salvation Army’s divisional commander – they had no say in that. “But we can let the Salvation Army know that we have no interest in leaving – we plan on staying,” Jonathan said.

In these first few weeks, Staci said they’ve been learning the ropes and “figuring out where they can make the best impact in our community.”

One way is helping to stock the food pantry with shelf-stable items that are distributed to households in need. If your gardens are giving you more produce than you can use, consider dropping off veggies or other fresh items. The Salvation Army has a walk-in fridge and freezer for those things.

Jonathan, who hails from Jacksonville, FL, is the one who does the preaching, teaching and challenging and Staci is the person behind the organizing and administration of the various programs, projects and services that the Salvation Army is known for.

“Staci is very gifted in leadership and administration,” Jonathan said. “We work together but we know where our strengths are.”

As time goes on, Staci said she hopes to visit civic clubs and other organizations to develop relationships and connections as they share the news and mission with the community.

The office of the Salvation Army, located at 2292 Ross Mill Rd. in Henderson, is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will accept donations and requests for help during those office hours. The phone number is 252.438.7107.

The Salvation Army helps individuals with things like food, clothing, after-school care and more, but it’s also a church.

Amidst all the programs and social services aspects of the Salvation Army, Jonathan reminds the community that they’re also ordained pastors who want to nurture people’s spiritual side.

“We meet human needs in Christ’s name without discrimination,” he said.

They’re already planning for the upcoming holiday season and folks can expect to see the familiar red kettles when they’re out and about between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

They’ll be signing up volunteer bell ringers, too.

There’s plenty to do between now and then, and the Majors Gainey are already hard at work.

“We want to be a part of this community,” Staci said. “We want to know people and want for them to get to know us as well.”

Visit https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/henderson-nc/ to learn more about how to help.

 

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County Employees Donate 650 Pounds Of Food, Personal Care Items To ACIM

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— Information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

Granville County Government employees collected 650 pounds of food and personal care items to benefit Area Congregations in Ministry, the county’s food bank.

The Granville County Board of Elections was recognized for collecting the most donations per employee.

Summer can be especially difficult for food pantries; food insecurity increases with children out of school and donations often slow down. Granville County staff wanted to do their part to help bridge that gap and support neighbors in need.

“We appreciate the generosity of Granville County employees and thank each one that donated for their support,” said ACIM Executive Director Ann Riley. “ACIM has experienced an increase in client registration and truly values the support from our community.”

If you are interested in holding a food drive to support ACIM or supporting their upcoming summer “Backpack Buddies” program, which provides children from food-insecure homes with healthy weekend meals during the school year, reach out to director@acimgranville.org for details on how to get started. Currently, ACIM’s greatest needs are rice, dry beans, peanut butter, jelly, instant potatoes, pasta, pasta sauce, and breakfast items. They accept donations Monday through Friday.

To learn more about ACIM or to donate, visit www.acimgranville.org.

Paws & Poses to Benefit Granville County Animals

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An upcoming yoga class planned for Saturday, July 26 at the Oxford Armory Farmers Market is shaping up to be like no other, and the event organizer said there will be some positively adorable pooches wandering among the yoga mats to perhaps meet their future owners.

Annie Drake, a rising senior at Vance Charter School, said ‘Paws and Poses’ is a service project to benefit the Granville County Animal Shelter.

The shelter staff will have numerous adoptable animals on the grounds from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The yoga class will be from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. It’s going to be an interactive yoga session, and participants may find a wet nose or a wagging tail in their face as they stretch and transition from pose to pose.

“My hope was to get some animals adopted out,” Drake said.

“I’ve been wanting to do some sort of service project before I go off to college,” Annie said. “I enjoy being out in the community and helping people -I’ve never done something by myself, that’s all me and says who I am.”

She said she appreciates the help she got early on from her mom, Darcy. “Having her help was great,” she said.

The planning has gone pretty smoothly, but she admits that there are way more details than she thought there’d be. Dr. Bridget Waters of Dabney Drive Animal Hospital has been a big help, too. Annie said she’s been shadowing some of the staff at the local veterinarian’s office to learn more about animals.

Annie’s mom will be the instructor. Register for the class at www.yogaforgoodoxford.com

Even if you don’t sign up for the class, she’s set up a GoFundMe page. And all proceeds go to the Granville County Animal Shelter.

Shelter staff also will have a space to collect donations at the event. They are in need of dog toys and dog food, she said.

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TownTalk: Tyler Fleming Ready For What Comes Next

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With freshman year of college under his belt, Tyler Fleming is setting his sights on what’s next for him as he begins to think about returning to Elon University for his sophomore year.

With thoughts of a career in journalism or communications, the Henderson native and 2024 Kerr-Vance Academy graduate has spent the summer with WIZS as an intern and he’s learning first-hand what it takes to run a radio station.

He sat down with WIZS’s Scout Hughes for Monday’s TownTalk segment, and he talked about some short-term and long-term goals.

“My dream job, ambition, goal,” he said, “is to be a motorsports broadcaster.” It’s something that’s always intrigued him, Tyler said, ever since he played with toy cars as a child.

Combine that with learning about cameras, recording audio and video and editing, and he’s got the makings for any number of jobs in the field of journalism or communications.

He’s gotten to work at a local speedway in Alamance County and looks forward to continuing that relationship and strengthening networks for when he’s out of school.

Tyler said he’s gotten to do some video work with the football team through a work-study program and he’s gotten to do some other work with the Elon News Network – “some air-to-tape and a little bit of camera work,” he explained.

Another program called Fresh TV has provided him a way to learn about cameras and other equipment in the studio, learn about the school and make some good friends. They even made a short film, he said.

These skills he’s honing are very transferrable across many aspects of the communications field if the motorsports plan doesn’t pan out.

In the meantime, he’s continuing to get experience at the local speedway, adding recordings of commentaries, interviews and post-race content for his portfolio. gathering recordings from

He’d love to do a Study USA program through Elon that would take him to Charlotte for a semester to learn about sport management and NASCAR.

“In the long run, I’d love to be at a network doing either NASCAR, Indy or even stuff in Europe,” Tyler said. Broadcasting from Daytona, Indianapolis or France’s 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans would be a dream come true.
“That’s the lofty goal for now, but one step at a time,” he said.

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Thinning Pines

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Wayne Rowland, on the Vance County Cooperative Extension Report:

Thinning pines at the correct time will increase the production of your remaining trees.

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Warren County Fan Giveaway For Eligible Seniors Begins Friday, July 25

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The Warren County Senior Center’s Operation Fan Relief will soon be up and running, thanks to a contribution from Kerr-Tar Council of Governments, the Warren County Senior Center has a limited number of box fans for eligible residents.

Beginning Friday, July 25, 2025, the Warren County Senior Center will give away box fans to eligible residents. To be eligible, individuals must be county residents 60 years and older and have a home situation where a threat to health and well-being exists, i.e., no air conditioning.

Individuals who received a fan last year are not eligible. One fan per household, please.

For those meeting criteria, fans can be picked up at the Warren County Senior Center, 435 W. Franklin Street, Warrenton beginning Friday, July 25 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. while the supply lasts.

For more information, contact the Senior Center at 252.257.3111.

N.C. State Fair Accepting Entries For Competitions From Cakes And Canning To Crochet And Crafts Through Sept. 15

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If you have ever dreamed of winning a ribbon at the N.C. State Fair, now is the time to figure out what you want to enter and sign up! The State Fair is now accepting entries for the 2025 fair, Oct. 16-26. If winning a ribbon at the fair is on your bucket list, now is the time to enter this year’s fair competitions.

The State Fair offers many competition categories such as arts and photography, culinary, livestock, fruit and vegetable production, hobbies and handicrafts, flowers, LEGO creations and more.

“Our competitions highlight the talents of the residents of North Carolina,” said Kent Yelverton, N.C. State Fair director. “Whether your talent is growing giant vegetables, raising champion goats, cross-stitching or crocheting, painting rocks, scrapbooking, photography, flower arranging or more, the fair likely features a competition for you.”

Every year the State Fair reviews the competition offerings looking to include newer crafting trends, attract more competitors and improve the shows for fairgoers. The State Fair Flower Show will see some changes in 2025 with each show highlighting different varieties of individual plants.

“This is to ensure that we can accommodate as many competitors as possible in this popular fair competition category,” said Yelverton. “All the same competition categories will be included but they may only be represented in one of the three shows held during the fair. Flower show competitors should carefully review this year’s show information, including entry drop-off dates and times, when entering the flower show.”

The State Fair also offers a variety of livestock shows, with individual classes based on the animal’s species, breed, age and weight class. Exhibitors will find both junior and open categories.

If any of these competitions sound interesting to you, consider entering today. You could be one of the next blue-ribbon winners. Only a few competitions require an entry fee.

Information on how to enter a competition can be found on the State Fair’s website, ncstatefair.org. Under the “Competitions” tab, you will find everything there is to know about categories, rules and deadlines. The deadline for entering most competitions is Sept. 15. Read the General Entries Premium Book and Livestock Entries Premium Book for detailed descriptions of events and regulations.

Online registration and paper entry forms are found under the “Forms and General Rules” tab in each department. Entrants are also required to submit digital W-9 forms to receive prize money.

Email ncsfcompetitions@ncagr.gov with additional questions. “We’re excited to see what people will enter and we wish everyone the best of luck,” said Yelverton. “Let’s make this a record year for our competitions.”