Blue Flu Brewing at CPD? PLUS On Site at a Food Pantry

The tension is real when frontline officers say their “day off” is anything but. We dig into Columbus PD’s on-call policy, why rank-and-file feel boxed in without pay, and how leadership’s response lands with a department already worried about morale. 

Safety doesn’t stop at the station. A Facebook Marketplace meetup at a busy Lowe’s turned into an alleged armed robbery, and quick police work led to arrests. Public places aren’t always protective; smart places are.

Then we stand in the Helping Hands line and listen. Parents feeding five kids on noodles and water. Caregivers stretching one paycheck and caring for elders. Pantry directors pivoting to SNAP boxes with protein, fiber, and shelf-stable goods because demand is up and certainty is down. The math is sobering: for every one person a pantry feeds, SNAP feeds nine. Charity matters, but it can’t shoulder a ninefold gap alone. If you want to help, target the items that move the needle—peanut butter, canned veggies, cereal, oats, grits, and ready-to-eat soup—and route them through organizations that already have sourcing, storage, and distribution dialed in.

Transcript

Opening And Sponsor Messages

SPEAKER_03 0:00

From the opinion page of the commercial dispatch, this is Between the Headlines.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

This is Peter Imes, publisher of The Dispatch. One of our hosts of Between the Headlines is the managing editor of our newsroom. Typically, we try to keep news and opinion separate, but reporters have a unique insight into the workings of local government, and their analysis can be helpful for readers and listeners. The dispatch remains committed to journalistic integrity, and our reporting will always reflect that. And now, between the headlines.

Setting The Table: Columbus Issues

SPEAKER_05 0:40

This week on Between the Headlines, Trust is officially lost in the Columbus Police Department, or so it seems, as a handful of officers threatens the blue flu. And we've got real cause for concern regarding the Facebook marketplace. If you use that, we have two suspects who have been arrested on charges of attempted robbery. And today we go on site at Helping Hands to listen to people and talk a little bit about the SNAP crisis. But first, retirement looks different for everyone, so your plan should be built around you. For over 40 years, Financial Concepts has helped people create retirement strategies that fit their lives. Our team in Columbus takes the time to understand your goals and build a plan that works for you. Wherever you are in your journey, we're ready to help. We plan retirement. Financial Concepts is a registered investment advisor. Benton's Maintenance Mechanical makes easy work out of plumbing, electrical, heating, and air conditioner problems. You can book an appointment by phone or online, and rest assured they will show up at the appointed time. Call Bentons at 662-657-2583 or visit them online at Bentonsinc.com, that is BentonsInc.com. This episode of Between the Headlines is brought to you by Bank First, the locally owned bank that makes decisions right here at home by people who understand the needs of our community. That means local decisions, local support, and folks who care if your kid made the team. At Bankfirst, we're not just bankers, we're neighbors and friends. Whether you're buying a home or starting a business, or just need someone to explain what APR actually means, we're here right down the street. Stop by your Bankfirst branch or visit BankfirstFS.com to learn more. Bankfirst is a member of FBIC and Equal Housing Lender Bank in MLS 454063. All right, welcome to Catfish Alley Studio, where it is 54 days and counting until Mayor Jones completes our Columbus Amphitheater. You are listening to Between the Headlines with Zach Plair, our host, who is the managing editor of the commercial dispatch. And my name is David Chisel.

SPEAKER_06 2:57

I'm feeling a little blue today. Oh man. David, I don't I don't know if I can do this today. I may have to may I may have to take the day off.

Police “Blue Flu” Threat And On-Call Policy

SPEAKER_05 3:04

Well, you're not getting off. You're gonna be on call, son. When that phone rings, you better answer. All right, so let's talk about this situation with the Columbus Police Department. We've got a pressure cooker situation. For those who haven't read, what's the backstory?

SPEAKER_06 3:24

I mean, the backstory is that uh the dispatch had uh three different police officers contact a reporter, talk to them anonymously, and uh lay out some some pretty heavy complaints against specifically Chief Joseph Daltrey's leadership, um and threaten to uh uh stage a blue flu or a an organized you know walkout. A strike. Well, I mean at least a uh a shift strike, if nothing else, uh if they if they didn't get their if they didn't get their complaints heard.

SPEAKER_05 3:59

Now they came to the dispatch. It wasn't like the dispatch went on a witch hunt and to find some story. This was people contacting the office.

SPEAKER_06 4:09

That's correct. Okay. Um at the center of it is a a policy that they allege, and for what it is worth, the police department and city administration denies that this is the case, but they allege that their uh the on-call policy at uh CPD is a violation of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. That that act says that if the if you're on call, if you're supposed to be off that day, but you're on call, if the parameters of that on-call situation uh are too restrictive that you can't do personal things, that you should be paid for that. They allege that that's exactly what's happening with uh CPDs on call and they're not being paid. They're being told they've got to stay in town, they've been told uh they can't, you know, they can't go certain places, they can't do certain things. Can't go to a party and drink. Right. And uh that is one of the things that they specifically brought up that they could not do. The uh it wasn't just a matter of keep your phone on you, be ready to come in if we call you. Uh it's you can't do this, you can't do that, you can't be within a certain, you can't be outside of a certain radius of the police department. And that includes, one officer brought up, if their kid has a doctor's appointment in Tupelo, they can't go if they're on call. And they're not being paid for that. Now that was the center of the complaint, the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were. But those interviews also had a lot of uh those guys took a lot of shots at just Daughtry's leadership generally and the fact that they felt like he had lost the morale was down and he had lost the department. Everybody on the other side of this, Daltrey included, denies that.

SPEAKER_05 6:08

So Daughtry basically said, well, some people will never be happy. Uh he said some people just want to start something, I'm paraphrasing. But to me, that sounds a little bit dismissive and defensive.

SPEAKER_06 6:24

Well, uh you know, David, you make an excellent point. And I want to take, if you don't, if if you'll indulge me here, I want to take everybody's responses to this in turn. S Stephen John Mayor Stephen Jones talks to us, and and to their credit, everybody talks to us on this. Uh the five of the council members talked to us, uh Stephen Jones talked to us.

SPEAKER_05 6:46

Yeah, thank goodness.

SPEAKER_06 6:47

Jeff Turner talked to us, Joseph Dawdrey talked to us. So I'm certainly uh appreciative that they were willing to publicly respond to this situation.

SPEAKER_05 6:56

Amen. Transparency. You like that.

SPEAKER_06 6:58

Right. The only part of Stephen's response that was troubling to me was this. And and Jeff's, too, it was sort of in the same vein. He's Jeff Turner's city attorney. They focused so heavily. Now they did Stephen did address the issue. He did talk about the, you know, this is what happens if they do a blue flu, they may not have a job anymore. He responded the way you would expect a mayor would, uh, for the most part. The one thing that concerned me about his response, Jeff's response, was there was such a heavy emphasis on well, they didn't file a formal complaint. They didn't file, they didn't go through the channels they were supposed to go through. Which is relevant, but it seems like to me that they were uh you could make an argument that maybe it was a little dismissive on their part because, well, you didn't do the uh you didn't do what you were supposed to do complaint-wise, which could also be interpreted for Jones. Jones now is realizing there's a problem, he's recognizing, acknowledging there's a problem, but what exactly is the problem for Jones? Is it that you've got unhappy police officers, or is it that they're talking to the press? And I I feel like if it's the second one, he's focusing on the wrong part of the problem. So whether they went through the proper channels for the complaint or not, uh it doesn't mean the problem isn't real.

SPEAKER_05 8:25

In fact, I would take that a step further and I would say to you, why did they not file the paperwork? Could it be? They are afraid to file that paperwork. They would face retaliation should they file that paperwork.

SPEAKER_06 8:40

I mean, then argument could be made for that. Now, of course, they deny that too, and they would, and I'm not saying that they're I'm not saying that they're lying. Um I the I the the grievance process is the grievance process for a reason. And you know, I I certainly respect the grievance process in in in my workplace, and I certainly wouldn't encourage somebody not to respect it in theirs. But you make a good point. If they feel like they're not being heard and they feel like their supervisor is targeting them and not paying them for services rendered, then they don't maybe have the most incentive to do it by complain by the book. And it doesn't make their complaints less real. And that's the only criticism that I have of Stephen's response. Daltrey, on the other. Daltrey's response smacked of the same kind of attitude that his response to other things has. For example, I didn't interview Daltrey for this, but I heard the interview. This generation just doesn't know how to work.

SPEAKER_05 9:52

Well, there's some truth to that, but keep going.

SPEAKER_06 9:54

The real problem is, yeah, sure, they might should get paid more, but the real problem is they don't understand that this work is essential and they don't understand how to manage their money.

SPEAKER_05 10:04

And everything you knew this when you came into it.

SPEAKER_06 10:08

Everything was a deflection from taking any responsibility or taking any accountability for running his own department. David, you're a business owner. There are problems, I'm sure, within your employment, with contractors that you use. Oh, over the history of the time that you've had that, you've learned about problems that you maybe didn't cause at your organization. But what did you do next?

Leadership, Morale, And Accountability Debate

SPEAKER_05 10:34

I'll tell you this: if I am not warm and I am not inviting and I am not willing to listen, then they're just gonna quit, or they're gonna get more demanding, or the problem is gonna get worse. You have to address it. You can't say, well, it is what it is. Now that worked for the boomer generation, you know, get your butt up on that roof, get the shingles done, and don't so much as look up until the dinner dinner bell sounds. Okay? It doesn't work like that in today's job, Mark.

SPEAKER_06 11:06

Well, I mean, uh maybe yes, maybe no, but the fact remains if it's your business, if it's your department, there's a certain amount of this that's your responsibility. Whether you believe you cause the problem or not, whether you believe you're uh uh you share in the problem or not. You still have to negotiate You are still the person responsible for coming up with the solution. You are still the person responsible for owning that department warts and all. And this is another example of Dalton not doing that and passing that buck and deflecting that blame to somebody else. Do you recall the the infamous Jeremy Harris wreck? And the infamous Jeremy Harris didn't get a drug test at the hospital.

SPEAKER_05 11:54

Well, I mean that's that's the big thing that's still looming over him.

SPEAKER_06 11:58

Right. So so so a little history lesson there with that, uh and you remember, but just for uh just for review, uh you remember that drug test was canceled. Well, Doctor says, I don't know who canceled the test. I just know he showed up the next day, hadn't gotten it, so we sent him to the crime lab. I don't know what happened. Well, it was his responsibility to know what happened, even if his statement was true. But the real truth of that, and and it was bore out, CPD canceled that drug test. Now, that one of three things happens there. Either he cancels it, someone under his authority cancels it, or somebody behind his back cancels it. But under all three of those circumstances, he's responsible for that drug test being canceled and he never owned it. He's responsible for the fact that you've got three officers saying morale's crap and we're about to have a blue flu. And he doesn't embrace that responsibility and his statements. It's that bad apples argument. Oh, well, you know, if they don't want to work here, they can go.

SPEAKER_05 13:09

Gotta take ownership.

SPEAKER_06 13:11

Got to take ownership of your own department because this city council's gonna make him. I don't know when that's gonna happen. I don't know how it's gonna happen, but this city council is about to make him at some point take ownership of the department or go back to Natchez.

SPEAKER_05 13:27

It could get ugly, no question about it. Well, let's talk for a minute about Jeff Turnage and his response to the legality of the policy as it stands. He basically said that the city and and the department were legally on good standing, correct?

SPEAKER_06 13:45

Right. And that was his interpretation of it after he had talked to everybody. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_05 13:49

Which I think is technically correct. I'm not a lawyer.

SPEAKER_06 13:53

Well, I mean the thing about it is is we don't know because we're not on call at the at the police department. You've got uh you've got multiple sources claiming that it's working one way, and then you've got who who were police officers who say it's working one way, and you've got the city attorney saying uh my looking into it is is bearing out that it's not working that way. So that's what you have.

SPEAKER_05 14:18

So there's ambiguity in what actually transpires.

SPEAKER_06 14:22

Yeah, what exactly they have to do while they're on call.

SPEAKER_05 14:26

Well, even if Jeff is correct, let's say he is correct, um that still doesn't stop the policy from really sucking. Yeah, I mean there's that, and and there's also you know, we're in a very conservative judicial circuit. I think if we were in a more liberal judicial circuit, they would make a meal out of that policy. Uh maybe so. Well, I hope that they're able to come to a solution, and I think the solution probably rests within policy compromise. I mean, just talk about the policy, talk about the specific beef and try not to make it so personal and so political. I'll compare it to this. I used to work back in 2012 at the grill at Jackson Square, actually, and we would have an on-call day, and that meant at 4 30 p.m. I was supposed to call the restaurant and say, Hey, do you need me? And they would say, No, David, we're slow, or oh my gosh, get here as soon as you can. Okay. And that was a little stressful, but compare that to emergency response where you potentially have to just get out of your bed and put your uniform on and go to a murder? Yeah. Yeah. Something like that. So it's a legit complaint, but I hope they don't screw it up by making it political. And I and I hope that uh I'll tell you this the city council has an opportunity to shine here. They can be a bridge for the situation, they can defuse the situation if they choose. Maybe put Roderick and Ethel in charge of a little task force on this.

Legal Questions And Policy Compromise

SPEAKER_06 16:08

Well, I don't know about that, but I do think that you have a good point on the whole. Um, and it's something that I've been thinking about as we've been talking. Uh, I think the city council does have a role to play here, and I think that they can promote transparency. You've got a disagreement between these officers and Jeff Turnage on what exactly the policy is and whether it's legal. So there's a work session every second and fourth Wednesday for this city council. Get in that work session, call Daltry on the carpet, figure out what the on-call policy is, and get it said out loud. And then that way, if the council has said, okay, we understand what this policy is and we approve this policy, Daltrey says, Okay, this is what the policy is and this is what we're doing, then that better dang well be what he's doing. But I think that that is something that the city council can do here as part of its role is to say, okay, well, they're saying the policy is this, you're saying the policy is this, what's actually happening? And let's bear out what the policy is going to be moving forward. And I I think that that would be a great thing for the for the council to be that bridge that you're talking about. I'm and for the public and the police department to be able to look at that and say, okay, this is what we can expect.

SPEAKER_05 17:31

Well, I back the blue and I just hope they're able to come up with something. And for the record, um an invitation was extended to Chief Daughtery to come on the program and talk about this. And that invitation stands. If you want to come on here and talk about it, we'd be glad to entertain this uh very important subject matter. Okay. Anything else about that one, Zach?

SPEAKER_06 17:54

No, I think we've covered that one.

Facebook Marketplace Robbery Arrests

SPEAKER_05 17:55

Well, it it segues well into this um Facebook Marketplace deal where someone was getting ready to purchase a vehicle from Facebook Marketplace. And so they met at Lowe's, uh pretty well lit place.

SPEAKER_06 18:14

Especially in the middle of the afternoon.

SPEAKER_05 18:16

Yeah. Right there in front of God and everybody. And it turned out to be a couple of robbers, allegedly.

SPEAKER_06 18:24

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 18:25

And there were arrests made. Where do we go with this?

SPEAKER_06 18:29

Well, first of all, you can't have anything nice anymore. Like Facebook Marketplace was supposed to be place you could go see pictures of what you were buying, communicate with the buyer, uh, negotiate price.

SPEAKER_05 18:42

Like it's not Craig's list.

SPEAKER_06 18:44

Yeah. And and here again, we've got somebody misusing something for for nefarious purposes. So lady sees this vehicle she wants to buy, they arrange a meeting at Lowe's. The police uh believe that it was always supposed to be a robbery. So she shows up, they get out armed, give us the money. Well, she didn't have the money because her dad is coming with the money behind her. Like she he hadn't made it there yet, so they're robbing the wrong person. Well, I I suppose they decide that they can't draw blood from a turnip, and they they take off, but by that time she's called 911, given them a description of the vehicle that these guys showed up in. As the vehicle's leaving the Lowe's parking light, the responding officer intercepts them, stops them, arrests them, which good on Columbus Police Department for that response, as you said. Um man.

SPEAKER_05 19:47

It's just Yeah, what a dump, man. I buy a lot of trucks off a Facebook marketplace. And like this makes me nervous. Next one I buy, if I use that medium, I'm going to the police parking lot or somewhere.

SPEAKER_06 20:02

We're not gonna meet out in the middle of the only vehicle I ever bought off of Facebook Marketplace rattled. But uh that's neither here nor there.

SPEAKER_05 20:11

That's because of them speakers you had on there. The speakers.

SPEAKER_06 20:17

Um I think it was because squirrels had chewed through the wires of uh of something under the hood. So that's that's really true.

SPEAKER_05 20:25

You didn't need that CD player anyway.

SPEAKER_06 20:28

So you're right. It's a reminder. There are there are safe places or allegedly safe places where you can arrange these meetings. And I think that the safety of these places is enhanced by the fact that if you're arranging the meeting at one of those places, if they're dishonest, they ain't showing up because they're in the police department parking lot, the sheriff's office has a marked uh marked spot in their parking lot for these types of things. Right under the camera.

SPEAKER_05 20:59

Don't park a hundred feet away where you just get the silhouette of the person.

Safe Exchange Tips And Mugshot Banter

SPEAKER_06 21:03

Right. Well, I mean these parking spots are labeled.

SPEAKER_05 21:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 21:07

And they're labeled to be seen and they're labeled to if you don't know the person you're buying from, arrange those buys at one of those two uh in one of those two parking lots.

SPEAKER_05 21:19

Smart word. Smart word. Well, what do you think about the mug shot?

SPEAKER_06 21:26

That one cat looked really pleased with himself. I don't I don't understand why.

SPEAKER_05 21:31

You know, I wasn't quite so disturbed by the smile as I was the hair. He he he did look he did look very Halloween yesterday. My grandfather, uh, back when I was just old enough to grow a beard, he would look at me and he would say, Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty. And yeah, and and the joke was that um he was calling the cat to lick the hairs off of my face to clean it up.

SPEAKER_06 21:59

I yeah, I I I understand that one. Now, did you ever now we're the same age as we've discovered, did you ever get into and you're a mu and you play music too, so this is uh something that could have happened to you. But did you ever grow the little goatee beard without the mustache?

SPEAKER_05 22:16

Didn't do that, but I did a handlebar mustache, waxed and twisted out. Yeah, and it it Yeah. You have pictures of that? Uh at those pictures are why I will never do it again. I look back at those pictures and it was like, oh my gosh, what was I thinking?

SPEAKER_06 22:34

Uh our listeners need these pictures. Matter of fact, I'll challenge you to send that picture. We'll post it. And then I did the beard with no mustache. I did the little goatee beard with no mustache uh for all the way through college. So I'll present I'll present one of those pictures to Peter to post if you present your uh lawyer Jeff Smith uh look.

SPEAKER_05 22:58

Do not pass go. Do not$300.

SPEAKER_06 23:03

So the challenge is on, the gauntlet is laid.

On-Site At Helping Hands: SNAP Fallout

SPEAKER_05 23:07

All right. Well, after the break, we will actually go on site to helping hands and talk to some of the folks who have been affected by the SNAP policy changes uh because of the government shutdown. We'll talk about that, but first. If you need serious equipment that gets the job done, Landman Rentals has you covered. Skid steers, many excavators, brush cutters, mulching heads, you name it, they're local, reliable, and built for the working man. Give them a call at 662-889-0541. Stuck on the road? Champions Towing in Columbus has your back. Fast, reliable towing, and roadside help whenever you need it. Whether it's a breakdown or a lockout, call 662-251-9004 and get moving again.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

The Good for Business Podcast features interviews, tips, and tricks from owners, operators, and innovators. Here are the inspiring stories of growth and life lessons from guests in Mississippi and around the world. Hosted by entrepreneur, fundraiser, and real estate broker Colin Krieger, the podcast is based right here in the Golden Triangle community.

SPEAKER_05 24:20

So it's Thursday morning, and we went on-site to Helping Hands. They opened the lines about 9 a.m. We were there about 9.30. And we just wanted to talk to folks, see how things were going, uh, see how people were affected. And here is some of the audio from that visit. Uh do you want to give your name or not?

SPEAKER_02 24:41

Oh, that's fine. Sherry Kennedy.

SPEAKER_06 24:44

Okay. Uh and how often do you come out?

SPEAKER_02 24:46

I uh usually don't. Usu usually don't. Um we usually make it on, you know, the Sam's. Um we balance out with that.

SPEAKER_06 24:54

But you and you were talking a while ago about the difficulty finding different different banks, different churches, different. So I mean, d tell me a little bit about what that struggle's been like.

SPEAKER_02 25:04

Well, I mean, we don't usually go to food banks, so trying to find ones that do give out. We came we came yesterday and um they only take so many, you know, here. So yesterday we couldn't find any banks, you know, open to help. And um we don't know of any other banks. Um we're, you know, so um that's that's been a struggle, you know, trying to find what banks, what food banks do offer help, you know. Um, so and the churches, um, I don't they usually I don't think advertise, you know, um on theirs.

SPEAKER_06 25:38

So I mean, there's no guarantee that this isn't gonna go past November.

SPEAKER_02 25:42

Right, right.

SPEAKER_06 25:43

What happens if it does go past November, the shutdown and and the snap benefit problem?

SPEAKER_02 25:49

Right. That that's what we were talking about with the food banks, maybe trying to get well, we could, you know, the help we could get with the food banks and just trying to just trying to stretch it the best we can, you know. Um it's hard to feed five kids, you know. It's really hard. Um, and they of course don't understand, you know, why they have to eat noodles every night, but you know, that's just part of it and drinking water, um, you know, so they're they're um what are they they're um from like first grade to fourth grade.

SPEAKER_06 26:19

So And these would be your grandkids?

SPEAKER_02 26:21

Right, my yes sir, yes, sir, yes sir.

SPEAKER_06 26:23

Okay. Anything you want to man?

SPEAKER_02 26:25

Um no, just hopefully you hope they said something about it on the news that they were gonna do half of the the the stamp, and um I don't know whether that's true or not.

SPEAKER_06 26:34

Um have you heard any more about that or I I think that's something that may be up in the air right now.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

Right, right, yeah, yeah. Or or maybe the end of the month or something, yeah. It won't follow like the m the days we need it to, probably. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 26:50

Well, thank you so much for your time.

SPEAKER_02 26:52

Thank you, thank you, and hopefully all this will get better soon.

SPEAKER_06 26:56

Tell me a little bit about you know what what what's going on with you. Are you are you regular here? Is this your first time coming here?

SPEAKER_07 27:05

Um, it's not my first time coming here. I've been here a while back. Um the government shutdown is kind of uh uh devastating. Uh I have five kids and um we don't have no food stamps right now, and we're just trying to balance like you know, um, with our food and everything.

SPEAKER_06 27:26

So are you are you usually are are you a SNAP recipient usually? Yes, sir. Okay. Other than I I mean, I know that uh food banks like this, there's a certain amount of times you can come, I think once every other month here. Uh how do you without the nutrition assistance from SNAP, how do you, I mean, how do you make it work?

SPEAKER_07 27:49

Um it's very hard. Um that is one thing. Um we do have like churches that helps me out as well. So yes, sir. Yeah, ramen noodles, ramen noodles, um, let's see, cans of soup, um, bread, and just I mean, we stack up on ramen noodles basically, yes sir.

SPEAKER_06 28:15

Well, as much as there is in this community to help people, is it is it enough to is it enough to fill the void without SNAP?

SPEAKER_07 28:24

No. No, it's not. Um, I have five kids in my household. I'm taking care of my grandmother, my elderly grandmother, my mother-in-law as well. And um it's just not, no, sir.

SPEAKER_06 28:38

Okay. And you you work?

SPEAKER_07 28:40

No, I stay at home. My husband works. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 28:43

All right. But it's a one-income household.

SPEAKER_07 28:46

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_06 28:46

Okay. Anything you want to add about the community support or just the general state of affairs?

SPEAKER_07 28:53

Um, it's definitely difficult when I mean you don't have food stamps. I mean, all these people need food. I mean, and we have kids, you know, um, definitely with the household of nine and having five kids without food stamps, it's it's rough.

SPEAKER_06 29:12

Is this your first time at Helping Hands?

SPEAKER_07 29:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 29:16

And you've got a yeah, you've got a child with you, there's about three? Oh, okay. I'm good. Good at good at guessing. Um I got three more. Three more?

SPEAKER_04 29:27

Well, then it's cool, but okay.

SPEAKER_06 29:30

Well, and uh are you normally on Snap?

SPEAKER_04 29:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 29:35

How difficult is it for you to come here? How difficult has it been? Okay. Bear that out for me a little bit.

SPEAKER_04 29:44

You want my honest opinion? If Governor Reeves stopped lying to y'all and saying Mississippi is fine, they don't need no help, then everything will be all right. Stop lying to everybody else.

SPEAKER_06 29:54

And what do you do, I guess? What do you do for the rest of this month, and what do you do if it does go beyond November?

SPEAKER_04 29:59

By the grace of God. It's gonna be handled.

SPEAKER_06 30:02

Well, other than helping hands, uh, what what other options have you been able to find? Or are you still or are you still searching for other options?

SPEAKER_04 30:11

Salvation Army, uh uh First Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church.

SPEAKER_06 30:16

And do you believe that's gonna be enough to get you through November?

SPEAKER_04 30:20

I told you, I live by faith.

SPEAKER_05 30:23

So I'm here with Steve Greenough, and we're right in the process of receiving a donation. And uh there have been a lot of donations today.

SPEAKER_03 30:32

Uh no, this is a regular pickup that we get from Walmart. Uh we this is part of the Mississippi Food Network program that we are part of. And uh each week we were given the uh food products that are close to sell by date. Uh and this time we've got seven boxes of bananas, which we work today. And uh we've got big room, I believe. So this is it's like Christmas. We never know what we're gonna open.

Voices From The Line: Parents And Caregivers

SPEAKER_05 31:12

Yeah, so I don't guess it occurred to me that a lot of your um a lot of your food supply would come from retailers that are uh liquidating stuff that that's just not gonna sell.

SPEAKER_03 31:22

A small percentage. Um how much percentage-wise would you think? It varies. It really does. I mean, last week there was nothing to pick up. This week we've got an abundance. Uh I have some data, but I couldn't just share it with you at this moment in time. You know, we collected on a program that is part of the Walmart distribution and receiving. Uh so we have to weigh each box that we get that goes into the tax credit program. So you expect the numbers to rise here in the next few days? The the numbers have risen. Uh, you know, we do a daily count and our average was about 300, now it's about 350. Uh, we just this past week we're doing an evening meal as well because of Snap. Uh and we first night was Monday we did 110. Tuesday night we did 220. Last night we did 240. I'm expecting the same number again today and tomorrow. And then next week we're going to pivot to Snap food boxes, uh, which we will distribute three times a week Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 150 per week. And the money that I've got from the community will provide sufficient for the month of November and possibly into early December. Uh, and we get continued supplies of donations, they're not regulated donations, they're just random donations. Uh, so we'll we'll put them in the boxes. The current average cost for the box is$35, but that will sustain a person for a week. Uh, it's nutrition and fiber and carp based, so that we went with Mississippi Food Network's advice to give them protein, carbs, and uh fibre. So you've got grits, you've got oats, you've got salmon, you've got tuna, uh, and you've got your veggies. So it's a really good balanced diet that they're going to get. Whereas the meal is just one meal, it lasts them a night.

SPEAKER_05 33:36

So is there like a particular group of items or type of items in particular that you wish you could see more of come in the door?

SPEAKER_03 33:44

We we want uh canned green beans, we want canned corn, we want canned peas, we want canned carrots. Uh, those are the veggies that we'll use. Uh, and then vacuum-packed tuna, vacuum-packed chicken, you know, the shelf stable items that will be able to be used not just that day, but over that week or 10 days, depending on how they decide they're going to use the free gift that we've given them.

SPEAKER_02 34:11

Somebody's gonna have to make a decision soon. I mean, because people can't can't do this. And um, you know, so they're gonna have to do something soon.

SPEAKER_06 34:21

Thank you very much, and good luck to you.

SPEAKER_02 34:23

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_05 34:25

Okay, Zach. Well, I saw that you uh had some conversations there. I I wasn't so lucky. I uh I guess you're a lot more approachable looking than I am.

SPEAKER_06 34:35

I don't I don't know. Um I did was fortunate to have uh a few people talk to me, uh a couple of mothers with small children with them in the helping hands line. Uh snap recipients who are worried. One lady uh, as you heard, talked about helping hands wasn't a place where she'd ever been. And it was embarrassing to her to do that. I really worry about several things where this is concerned, but the more immediate concern is when does this end? And you know, I'm not I don't want to go into whether which what party you or I think is responsible for this. I don't even want to talk about that, but uh but when does this end? And when when when can we feed people that that that need the help and reliably to where they're not having to they're not having to pin the tail on the church that they can go to with the food pantry or they're not having to, you know, r uh w worry about how many times they've been to help and hands and if they can go back. That's just a that's a that's a horrible way to live when there's a better way to do this.

SPEAKER_05 35:53

I actually concur wholeheartedly. I'll tell you this. I did not get the least sense that I was in the presence of freeloaders out there. Uh I felt like I was around people that just had been dealt a bad hand or they just they just needed food. They just needed daggum food.

How Food Banks Source And Scale Aid

SPEAKER_06 36:13

A lot of people have uh come out of the woodwork in this crisis to help organizations like you know you talk to Steve with Lowe's and Fish, et cetera. You know, you've got other organizations that already have the infrastructure to help that are beefing up what they do. You've got private donations that are definitely on the rise because people with good hearts recognize this situation and want to be a part of the solution. And that's good. But statistically, it's gonna be a drop in the bucket. Brandy Harrington over at Start Will Strong told us uh, and and and Start Will Strong, they do you know similar things to the nonprofits here and trying to help people get food and uh other kinds of assistance that they need, and they do a really good job over there. But Brandy said for every person that our food bank feeds, Snap feeds nine.

SPEAKER_05 37:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 37:15

So that's a drop in the bucket. And I have listened to a lot of people laugh about the freeloaders aren't going to get their EBT cards. Well, whoop de-do. I have listened to the work or the the shall not eat verse quoted a lot by people who are not in this situation. I've also heard so many times the well, this is really the purview of the churches and the nonprofits anyway. Okay, well, I've already given you a statistic of how effective that is compared to Snap. For one person fed by a food pantry, nine people are fed by Snap. So we already have a system that is working. I know a lot of churches do have food pantries, but I know a lot of churches building$100,000 gyms that don't have food pantries.

SPEAKER_05 38:10

And you're meddling now.

SPEAKER_06 38:12

Yeah, well, it is what it is. And you know, I've been an evangelical Christian all my life and I will be until I die. But that's true. If your version of Christianity compels you to quote Genesis but not read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, let me put it to you in terms that maybe you can understand a little better. How about self-preservation? Desperate hungry people set things on fire.

unknown 38:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 38:37

And they commit crimes. And they steal. And they storm bastilles if you read history books. Um and they're not gonna steal Elon's rocket or Trump's golden toilet. They're gonna steal your lawnmower. And that's how it starts. And then you're gonna call the police, and the police are gonna come and take the report and say, Well, you know, we don't know if we can find your lawnmower, sir, because a lot of other stuff is missing from a lot of people, and we have limited resources too. And then these desperate people, you're not getting panhandled in front of the McDonald's once a week, you're getting panhandled in front of everywhere eight and nine times a week. And then those desperate people start looking around and counting. They start counting them and they start counting you. And that's what happened in France in the 1780s. But uh the arc of history says this is what happens. And so if for no other if you can't find it in your heart to be kind, self-preservation.

SPEAKER_05 39:41

Pragmatism.

SPEAKER_06 39:42

Pragmatism and the social contract. The social contract is a social contract for a reason. Don't laugh at these people. Don't quote Genesis at these people. Just feed these people if you can.

SPEAKER_05 39:54

I can certainly listen to that sermon. I mean, I no question about it. From a business standpoint, I'll say this. What I have found is the little decisions that you make over time are what make or break you. You know, the big transactions come and go, but if you take care of the little transactions, the big ones will follow suit. You know, I've I've had it I've I've heard it said that the uh the food snap, the I keep saying that, the food stamp pro the snap program is a very small chunk of change compared to all of our defense spending, this, that, and the other. Simply this, Zach. We can have a a talk about welfare reform, but now is not the appropriate time. You don't do this to human beings.

Urgent Needs, Donation Details, And Boxes

SPEAKER_06 40:43

You don't. And and and there's a lot of people who talk about the working part we mentioned a while ago. Considerable number of SNAP beneficiaries work. We talked to one today who uh whose husband works and they have five kids. The the working argument doesn't always hold water. I I go back to we've talked about Stephen Jones earlier. They announced the the food drive that the city is sponsoring. One of the quotes of his that really stood out and I agreed with was um I think he said something to the effect of hunger shouldn't ever be political. And this is a moral failing in the wealthiest country in the world.

SPEAKER_05 41:25

So I read the opinion piece in the dispatch that that talked about in times of crises, uh crisis, that you know, we should we should look to the pros to people such as helping hands. But I don't you know, my only pushback on that is I do not ever, ever want to discourage churches and individuals from doing something as opposed to just writing a check. They don't like to write a check because they feel like they already do that with their taxes. Well, I think that's a good thing. You know what I'm saying? They want to do something tangible, such as bring cereal, uh tuna, bread cans to somewhere and drop them off and do it through their church.

SPEAKER_06 42:10

Well, and I mean, and I think that there's room for that. I think what we were trying to say there is that the infrastructure already exists, especially like the vet if if if you're vetting, the vetting infrastructure already exists and nonprofits who do this all the time. So plugging into that infrastructure, bringing your resources, bringing your volunteer time, doing all of that stuff, doing it through your maybe your church or for yourself or whatever, that's fine. If you if everybody tries to do an their own independent thing and splinters the resources, one, they get harder to find. You don't really know where to go. Secondly, you're having to reinvent wheels that have already been built.

SPEAKER_05 42:51

Very good. So basically, uh keep up the good work, uh, keep up the good work churches and whoever, but but work together and have a uh have a centralized plan so it's not so disparate, if I could use that word.

SPEAKER_06 43:07

So uh uh David, just real quick here, uh in uh we asked Jennifer Gerard to come on, and instead, uh, you know, she's distributing food today. Uh she invited us to come out and uh talk to some of the folks about the city.

SPEAKER_05 43:20

She was a busy bee when I was.

SPEAKER_06 43:22

And she was. But um I so I asked her, I said, in lieu of you coming on, can I just get some information from you, ask you some questions? And she said, sure. I asked her, you know, what donation needs they have at the moment. She says our current donation needs are peanut butter, any canned vegetables, breakfast cereal, oatmeal, or grits packets, and ready-to-eat canned soup. I asked her how the needs now compared to the normal needs with you know the snap crisis going on. She said these are the normal needs, uh, but we usually don't get down this low on inventory with those certain items. Hadn't necessarily seen a bigger volume of people coming to the food pantry during the shutdown yet, but definitely have seen a very large increase this whole 2025 due to higher grocery costs just generally. How to donate? I say, how do you donate? Okay, anybody wants to donate, they can uh bring it to us at Helping Hands 223 22nd Street North, Monday through Thursday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Uh if they want to donate money toward the purchase of food, they can uh write the check and mail it to P.O. Bax 1241 Columbus, Mississippi 39703, or they can just bring it by to the office, deliver it by hand. They also accept toiletry donations, cleaning items, things of that sort. And she makes uh note that the community has already been so supportive and we are so appreciative of every single item or dollar that comes through the door. As far as what you can get at Helping Hands, you can only go to Helping Hands once every other week. And anybody who goes to Helping Hands, they leave with four to five bags of groceries, totaling around$150. That includes canned goods, dry pasta, beans, and rice, cooking oil, milk, cold items such as butter, eggs, some form of meat, and then fresh fruit.

SPEAKER_05 45:20

Very good. Thank you for that. Um before we sign out, I'll I'll tip my hat to the mail segment. Uh I had asked which churches were participating, which organizations. I just want to name a few of these. We've got St. Paul's Episcopal Saving Grace Mission, several mentions of Vibrant, uh, also CTC Lounge County, Common Ground Market, among others. So, and uh actually Benton's Maintenance and Mechanicals doing some stuff. So thanks to everyone. Every little bit helps. Absolutely. Well, what did I miss this week in regard to other stuff in the lives?

Morality, Pragmatism, And Social Contract

SPEAKER_06 46:01

All right, three things to know. One, uh Veterans Day celebrations of Carl Slounds County are set for this weekend and next week. In Columbus, the annual parade starts lining up at 9 a.m. Saturday at the municipal complex. It'll travel up Main Street to the courthouse for the wreath laying at 11. On Tuesday, lineup for the Caledonia Parade will begin at Ola J. Pickett Park at about 1015 a.m. Two, uh the County and Steel Dynamics are splitting the cost of a$14 million project to build rail connections at Lowndes County Port's West Bank to help SDI uh deliver more materials from the port uh more efficiently. Uh the county's$6.1 million portion is coming from a federal grant the port secured in 2023.

SPEAKER_05 46:47

That's great. That'll keep the roads from crumbling up as much.

SPEAKER_06 46:50

Right, right. And number three, a portion of 7th Avenue North is set to disappear by early next year as part of the Parkview project at Burns Bottom. Roughly 200 feet is going to be behind Little Dewey leading to the Roger Short Soccer Complex. It's going to be eliminated according to the plans. And the developers and the parks uh the county parks department and other leaders are meeting together to talk about how that's going to affect ingress-egress out at the uh soccer complex and the like.

SPEAKER_05 47:23

Well, that will do it for today here in Catfish Alley Studio. Thank you, Columbus, for all that you're doing. Uh help us to make this place a better area to live in. Be sure to follow the show, share the show, and as always, send us your comments, tips at cdispatch.com. You can also follow me on Facebook or X at Dchishm Double Zero. Signing off until next week. Your host has been Zach Player, and I am David Chisholm. Y'all keep it friendly and we'll keep it real.

SPEAKER_00 47:58

Opinions expressed on this show are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the commercial dispatch.