Doub
Food banks continue to see unprecedented demand as the pinch of inflation is leaving a mark on many local families.
Kelly Daugherty, who leads Love Chapel’s food pantry, told The Republic’s Mark Webber last week, “At least I’m not worried about what my kids are going to eat tonight. … There are so many families today in that predicament.”
As Love Chapel sees demand 20% higher than ever under Daugherty’s watch, it’s having to spend thousands more than usual each month on food. Likewise, Salvation Army is seeing more and more visitors, pushing the limits. So far, local food banks have been able to meet the needs. But they need the community’s help.
“I stand very firmly on the thought that God is going to take care of what I need,” Salvation Army social services manager Nancy Johnson told Webber.
If you are able to donate food or money to a local food bank, there are few better ways to make sure your charitable giving is directly helping people in our community. Find out how you can help at feedingamerica.org/findyourlocalfoodbank.
Teachers at top of their class
A couple of local teachers have been singled out recently as A+ examples of educators.
As The Republic’s Jana Wiersema reported, The Indiana Department of Education named Columbus North High School science teacher Stacy Doub one of 25 finalists for the 2023 Indiana Teacher of the Year.
Doub was the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Claiming that honor for 2022 is CSA New Tech facilitator Veronica Buckler. She was honored at the BCSC school board meeting Monday and will represent the school corporation as its nominee in the 2024 Indiana State Teacher of the Year competition.
Doub, in her 35th year as an educator, is still thrilled by seeing students discover. As she told Wiersema in a profile last year, “When that comprehension dawns and you see it on their faces, that is the best feeling in the world, to know that you had something to do with them figuring something out.”
Buckler feels quite the same in her work as a facilitator for English and social studies courses: “(Y)ou can see their passion and their excitement and see their learning happening in the moment, and that’s always really cool.”
Awards or not, Doub and Buckler are already winners in our book.
Zaharakos is ready for its close-up
The Republic’s Brian Blair got a nice scoop recently about Columbus’ landmark downtown ice cream parlor, Zaharakos.
Seems the century-old confectionary that’s part sweet shop, part museum and wholly unique is having a moment as a star of the small screen.
Seymour native Craig Hall is featuring Zaharakos in his video series “Indiana’s Story,” available on Facebook and angling for Amazon. He dropped in last week to shoot some scenes with businessman and philanthropist Tony Moravec, who restored Zaharakos in 2009, and Moravec’s former assistant and history buff Debra Slone.
But it turns out Blair got two scoops: Another film crew sweet on Zaharakos also dropped in last week, this one from Fox. They’re using the location’s 1904 Worlds Fair soda fountains as a backdrop to an upcoming docuseries based on the New York Times bestseller “A History of the World in Six Glasses.”
This is wonderful news for Zaharakos, but to us, the real cherry on top is that we live close enough to this delightful destination to stop in for our own scoop — or two — anytime.
