Sixteenth Edition: November 30, 2020
Welcome to SSN!
A local society resource for good news across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
You are here! A gateway inside each edition of Seaside Social News published on the last day of every calendar month. Click on an image, title or navigation link to unlock featured content.
Uniquely packaged photo albums and stories dedicated to connecting people to the good causes of our Mississippi Gulf Coast communities and the individuals, businesses and organizations behind them.
Intimate stories spotlighting those people and places who help make the Mississippi Gulf Coast a special place to live and work.
Community Clicks
Judge Trent Favre honored with Mississippi Bar Award
Story by Andy Kanengiser
Hancock County native Trent Favre is passionate about his family, the legal profession and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
A successful Hancock County Youth Court Judge, Favre is committed to serving people in the vibrant Coastal region he cherishes. For his many achievements, the Mississippi Bar recently selected the Kiln resident to receive its Judicial Excellence Award.
Rather than resting on any accolades, the 46-year-old just plunges ahead with his work in the courtroom.
“I love my job immensely. Being a county and youth court judge is unique because I am able to work with families and children involved with the child welfare system,’’ Favre told a “Seaside Social News’’ reporter. “Our goal is to restore families. Our theme is hope. I believe all parents should be given a fair chance to reunify with their children.’’
It’s quite a delicate balancing act. The judge seeks to ensure the judicial system is supportive of parents “while guarding the best interests of the children we serve. It is my greatest joy to invest in the lives of these families.’’
In 2020, Judge Trent Favre and the rest of the world has been tested by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of late November, the coronavirus claimed more than 250,000 American lives, with over 1.3 million deaths worldwide. To combat the deadly virus, mask wearing, social distancing, sanitizer stations and other health protocols are the norm. The development of a vaccine in the weeks and months ahead offers hope.
“We’ve introduced technology in the courtroom, conducting hearings via Zoom. We have seen an increase in participation by various stakeholders. Also, during the pandemic, we have seen a decrease in delinquency (juvenile crime),’’ Favre said. “We are still very concerned about the repercussions of the pandemic, so we are working harder than ever to ensure that families have the resources they need to succeed.”
Certainly, Judge Favre has worked hard since entering the legal profession. Born and raised in Hancock County, He’s the son of the late Sam Favre, a reputable Bay St. Louis lawyer, who passed away in 1991. His mom, Pat, is a Bay St. Louis resident. Trent and his wife, Shannon, an attorney, and their two children, Katie, 15, and Sam, 13, live in the historical Favre family home. The residence was built in 1859, back during the turbulent Civil War era.
Extra Table serves up goodness to hungry neighbors
Story by Susan Weller
When you have been invited to the Extra Table you will be served a bounty of goodness.
In 2009, Robert St. John made a commitment to people in need of good food. He created the nonprofit, fundraising entity called Extra Table. St. John’s background as owner of the Purple Parrot, Crescent City Grill, Mahogany Bar, Branch, Tabella, Ed’s Burger Joint, The Midtowner, and Midtown Donut in Hattiesburg, Miss., and the state’s top chef three consecutive years and honored as Mississippi Restauranteur of the Year. He has written a weekly syndicated newspaper column for over 20 years, and is the author of eleven books, including four collaborations with watercolorist Wyatt Waters. This varied and rich background has given him the vision and path to serve up healthy food to over 50 soup kitchens and food pantries throughout Mississippi.
Extra Table partners with Sysco Corporation, the world’s largest food distributor. Sysco helps purchase and deliver food directly to food pantries and soup kitchens who share in the bounty of Extra Table. Because administrative funds are raised separately, they guarantee 100 percent of donations goes directly to purchasing new, healthy food for their partner agencies to distribute to hungry neighbors. Extra Table has recognized the ever-increasing need, observing a 30 to 50 percent increase in requests for food. Many people are first-time visitors to the food pantry. With the help of so many wonderful sponsors, Extra Table fills the gap for people who have never been in this situation before. Supplying food during the COVID-19 pandemic meets the needs of many friends and neighbors who have lost their jobs or had their hours cut.
Feeding the Gulf Coast delivers recipe for success
Story by Susan Weller
A community is only as healthy as its food resources. That’s a fact by which Feeding the Gulf Coast operates.
A member of the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, Feeding America, the nonprofit organization distributes millions of pounds of food annually to communities in need along the Central Gulf Coast; remaining steadfast in its belief that healthy food is the basis of a healthy community.
“You can’t be a healthy person and be your best self if you are not well fed”, Cindy Bloom, director of operations for Feeding the Gulf Coast stated in an interview with Seaside Social News. “Kids can’t learn if they are food challenged. Chronic hunger is stressful, poverty is stressful, if the worry about food can be removed then more positive outcomes can be expected.”
Feeding the Gulf Coast works to ensure food insecure communities are offered the resource of the necessary foods to stay healthy. And today, more than ever, due to COVID-19, the organization and many others are aware that the need for healthy foods to support healthy bodies and thus a healthy infrastructure is ever more important. People are the infrastructure of success. If those people are denied access to healthy foods due to job loss or any other situation created in these trying times, organizations such as Feed America and their support organization, Feeding the Gulf Coast, seize the opportunity to support the churches, food pantries and other outreach outlets to fill the need. From the Feeding America Web site, “in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment has soared and food insecurity is on the rise. In 2020, more than 54 million people may face hunger because of coronavirus.”
Feeding the Gulf Coast challenges us all to let our imaginations run wild when thinking about our part in feeding those in need in our community.
