We will get through this COVID-19 situation together

Published 8:50 am Tuesday, March 31, 2020

In the midst of the COVID-19 situation, businesses have taken an economic hit and plenty of people have more time on their hands.

In some of those situations, the business owners and individuals have found productive ways to redirect their efforts. As restaurants were ordered to close to dine-in patrons, many have turned to unique drive-through offerings.

As grocery stores seek to stock high demand items like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, bread and milk, some local restaurants stepped up and out to meet the demand.

Walnut Hills Chef Chris Rutherford is baking po’boy bread that goes for about $2 a loaf and can be picked up with curbside service.

Charles Toney of Toney’s Grill & Seafood Market ordered bread, milk, toilet paper and other high demand products from his vendor and made them available to the public when many grocery store shelves were bare.

Meanwhile, local seamstresses have put their spare time to work making masks to donate to those on the front lines.

After learning Personal Protective Equipment was in short supply, some local residents started making masks for healthcare workers and first responders: Shirley Stuart and the Vicksburg Convention Center Staff, among others. For those who may be interested in sharing their sewing talents, Stuart shared a website with instructions; https://buttoncounter.com. Also, on Stuart’s Facebook page, she gives instructions on how to construct a mask.

Teachers, like Bowmar Elementary School librarian Jennifer Nelson, are finding ways to meet children and parents where they are; at home navigating lesson plans from a dining room table. Nelson has taken to Facebook to continue reading to her students during this time.

And Larry Walker, of Skywalker Photography, is offering photoshoots for students whose proms have been put in jeopardy due to the COVID-19 virus.

“I wanted to allow the kids an opportunity to have their photos done despite the current situation and the fear of them not even having prom altogether,” Walker said. “I wanted to make sure something good came out of that situation. It’s just my way of giving back.”

Those are just a few examples of people who are pitching in to help their neighbors and community in these difficult times.

We applaud them and thank them for their efforts and hope they serve as an example for others to follow.

Together, we will get through the COVID-19 situation.

Catherine Boone Hadaway is publisher of The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at catherine.hadaway@vicksburgpost.com.

About Catherine Hadaway

Catherine Hadaway, as The Vicksburg Post’s publisher, oversees the business operations of the newspaper. She is a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala. and is a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis where she earned bachelor’s degrees in Business and Religion. She is a Director of Boone Newsmedia, Inc., the family company that owns The Post. Catherine comes from a long line of newspaper publishers, starting with her grandfather, Buford Boone, who served as publisher of The Tuscaloosa News and earned journalism's highest honor when he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1957 for his editorial titled "What a Price for Peace." Catherine is a member of The Rotary Club of Vicksburg, Junior Auxiliary of Vicksburg, The Heritage Guild, The Sampler Antique Club and The Vicksburg Warren County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Executive Committee.

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