Acorn student essay winners

In Dec. 2022, the Mena Elks Lodge 781 conducted their annual Americanism Essay Contest for students in grades five through eight. The theme for this year’s essay contest was, “What is Your American Dream”.

Acorn High School seventh and eighth grade history teacher Andy Arnold coordinated the essay writing activity with Phyllis Caldwell of the Mena Elks.

From Acorn High School, 11 students submitted essays and will receive certificates. Four of the students will be advancing to the state competition with their essays. The Acorn High School students that will be competing at state include: (L-R) Madelynn Auer, Taylar Kesterson, Addi Ledbetter and Owen Wasif.

(Photo courtesy of ORSD)

Recipe for reaching children in need

By Sen. John Boozman

Americans have long called on Washington to cut inefficiencies in federal programs and modernize them for the 21st century. Yet rarely, are those calls heard on Capitol Hill.

Come this summer, we will get a good glimpse at what happens when Congress follows through with rhetoric and puts change into motion, as a lot of hungry children will be helped as a result.

A long overdue modernization of our summer meals program, based on ideas I have championed for years, recently became law.

These reforms update rules that have been in place for over 60 years. Generations of families have struggled with the challenges these restrictive regulations presented while Washington sat idle.

Those difficulties arose from the requirement that children travel to a central location and eat at that site during the summer. This may work well in some communities. However, in rural areas, it can be difficult for children to reach a meal site, if one even exists.

Continuing down this antiquated path left many families scrambling to find access to nutritious meals for their children during the months when classes are not in session.

The solution I have long advocated for, and successfully incorporated in the Fiscal Year 2023 government funding package, is to give states more options to reach hungry children during the summer. There are proven ways to achieve this goal, but until now, states have been powerless to employ commonsense approaches like off-site meal options or the issuance of electronic benefits cards.

These options do not replace congregate feeding sites, which as I previously noted, work well in many communi- ties. But the one-size-fits all approach is outdated, and states have needed additional ways to fill the void in communities where it is not feasible for children to gather in a central location to eat.

Moving forward, states will be allowed to provide non-congregate meal options, such as grab-and-go or home delivery, to eligible children, and issue Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, capped at $40 per child per month, to eligible families on a permanent basis.

These options proved to be quite effective during the pandemic. When social distancing mandates were in place, Congress waived the requirement for children to travel to a central location and eat their meals onsite. In turn, this spurred innovation with public-private partnerships that provided access to nutritious meals for young Arkansans.

We already had evidence to show summer EBT works. Pilot programs conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture prior to the pandemic showed summer EBT successfully reduced child hunger by over 30 percent among participants.

A handful of my colleagues and I had been pushing for these changes for many years. The success of these options during the pandemic convinced the rest of Congress it was time to act. While I am pleased to see these much-needed reforms are now law, it really should not be this difficult for Congress to act when a solution is staring us in the face.

While government is almost always behind the curve on innovation, we can show the American people that we are serious about fixing the way Washington works. It just takes a willingness from policymakers to focus on solutions, rather than punditry. Ending food insecurity is a great place to start that commitment.

Around Town

The Polk County CSFP (Commodity Supplemental Food Program) Distribution for Feb. 1 has been canceled. These Commodities are only for persons 60 years of age and older who have completed the application process. Please contact the Polk County Outreach office at (479) 394-4707 for the rescheduled date.

The Polk County Disabled American Veterans and auxiliary will be holding their monthly meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2, at Veterans Park in Acorn. Potluck will be at 6 p.m. with meetings to follow.

Narcotics Anonymous meet at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, 7 p.m. on Thursday, 7 p.m. on Friday, and 6 p.m. on Saturday at the old bus barn at the Crossing Church. For information call Erica at (479) 234-5289 or Candice at (501) 356-8300.

Henry Classic Lever Action .22 Carbine Rifle to be given away Feb. 25 at the Gillham fire department at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 each or five tickets for $20. All proceeds will go to Rebecca (Burris) Alexander to help with funeral and other expenses. Her husband Mikeal Alexander died suddenly Jan. 8. There will be a pulledpork sandwich dinner by donation from 4-6 p.m. and an auction from 6-8 p.m. Any items can be donated for the auction. Call Judy Oliver at (870) 584-8254 or Maude Burris at (870) 386-2530 for any questions or to buy tickets.

The Polk County Housing Authority has Rental Vouchers available. They are also in need of Applicants and Landlords. Contact them at 509 S. Morrow, Mena, (479) 394-1565 or polkarhousing.com

The Hatfield Branch Library is open every Tuesday and Friday from noon-4 p.m. The library is located at 121 Cemetery Rd. (old Agri building) in Hatfield.

GriefShare continues to meet every Thursday from 10 a.m.-noon at First Presbyterian Church Mena for anyone in the community who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

The Mena/Polk County Senior Center will have The Gator and Friends band performing in Mena every Thursday, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

The Center has an exercise class on Mondays and Thursdays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Contact Trena Looney with questions, (479) 394-5459.

Alcoholics Anonymous meet at The Crossing Church, 3 p.m., Sundays; at 5 p.m., Tuesdays; and at

8 p.m. Saturdays at the old bus barn. For information call (479) 234-8366 or (479) 216-3786.

The Cossatot Senior Center in Wickes has meals and activities for seniors. If you need to make delivery arrangements or changes call (870) 385-2373.

The Polk County Social Seniors will meet at the New China Chinese Restaurant, 409 Hwy 71 N, on Feb. 14 at noon. The Entertainment will be the Lyric Readers from OLT. Newcomers are always welcome. Any questions? Call Linda at (956) 241-2633.

Hatfield First Baptist Church “Shepherd’s Closet” Open Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-Noon. Large selection of good, used clothing & a limited supply of non-perishable food items. Free to anyone in need.

The Food Pantry at the Mena Seventh Day Adventist Church is open every first and third Monday of each month, 4-6 p.m., located at Fair Grounds Road. For more information, call (479) 437-4018.

American Legion meets every 2nd Tuesday at the Legion Hall in Acorn. Potluck at 6 p.m., meeting follows.

Come play Bingo, Saturdays and Mondays, starts at 6 p.m., doors open at 4 p.m.

Reynolds Gardner Community Men’s Breakfast every Tuesday, First United Methodist Church, Mena, 8 a.m. (full breakfast for small donation). All men from the community are invited to attend.

Alcoholics Anonymous meet at 7 p.m. Fridays at the First United Methodist Church, 9th & Port Arthur. Discussion/Book Study for information call (479) 243-0297.

Bluegrass Jam Session is open to musicians and fans alike. Bring your instruments for an unplugged session to the Daisy Room (behind Janssen’s Avenue Florist & Gifts) the first and third Thursdays of each month, starting at 6:30 p.m. Free event. Some snacks are provided.

It’s easy to have your event listed in Around Town, which will be read on radio stations KENA and KQOR daily. Simply send your Around Town announcement to news@mypulsenews.com or call (479) 243-9600 and let us know about your event! To have it in the Polk County Pulse newspaper, we need to know by FIVE on FRIDAY. We look forward to continuing to serve the community!