March is National Nutrition Month and United Way of Southeast Missouri works with organizations such as the Jackson Ministerial Alliance, the Scott City Ministerial Alliance, the Community Caring Council, The Salvation Army, Jackson Senior Center, and Little Whitewater Baptist Church Food Pantry to ensure that hard-working families have the support they need during difficult times. These organizations collectively serve over 15,000 individuals and families every year ... Read More. 

Less than a month ago, a small, proud community just 30 miles from our office was visited by a tornado. Other writers use terms like "devastated," "ripped apart," and "shattered" to describe the impact left by a tornado. But that is not all that happened in Perryville, Missouri. 

Yes, homes were ripped apart, belongings were shattered, and tragically, loved ones were devastated upon hearing the news of the loss of their son, brother, cousin, nephew. While this sadness is deep and life-changing, this community is just as complete and whole as it was a week ago, which is why I find myself using the term "visited" by a tornado.

People unknowingly traveling along Interstate 55 were unprepared for the cars from a nearby salvage yard that hurtled at them like missiles. Some families had warning and were able to dash into a cellar or cower in a bathtub. Even those with time to grab money, medications and, most importantly, family, had no way of preparing for what was coming.

Yet, somehow, they instantly knew how to recover and rebuild. Immediately, as we humans tend to do, people were digging, removing, lifting, helping, and providing any and all assistance they could deliver. As did United Way of Southeast Missouri... Read More.