West Newsmagazine 5-6-20

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May 6, 2020
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
You’re my hero: Feeding those in need
Donovan Denham – a sophomore at
Parkway West High is working to bring
food to the families that desperately need it.
Denham, of Ballwin, is
the student director of St.
Louis Food Rescue, a nonprofit
that collects unsold
fresh food and produce
from local food retailers
and immediately delivers it
to food banks and shelters
in the St. Louis area.
Since late March, when
schools across the area
were first closed due to
the COVID-19 pandemic,
Denham has rescued hundreds
of pounds of fresh
food that would otherwise
be thrown away. The food is delivered to
shelters and food pantries in the St. Louis
area, including the Parkway Food Pantry
which serves families throughout the
Donovan Denham, of Ballwin, is
committed to rescuing food to
feed those in need.
school district.
To help make a bigger difference and
reach more families, Denham recently
reached out to WGU Missouri
– a nonprofit, online
university he frequently
volunteers with – to get the
university’s help in distributing
food to those in need.
Denham has been volunteering
with St. Louis Food
Rescue for three years. To
learn more or get involved
with St. Louis Food Rescue,
visit stlouisfoodrescue.org.
• • •
In West County, the
Meadows Wildwood Volunteer
Project coordinators
contacted the Agape House Food
Pantry earlier this month to see how they
could help.
The food pantry, located at 120 Larmar
Parkway in Pacific, serves
families in the Meramec
Valley R-III School District.
“Denett Whitford, assistant
executive director, was grateful
for our interest in donations,”
explained Elizabeth Broyles.
“We organized a food drive by
placing a grocery bag on each
resident’s front door for items
like canned and boxed foods to
be picked up at a later date and
time. We asked grocery stores to donate the
plastic bags and boxes for food items. They
were happy to do so.”
As a result of their efforts, the residents
of Wildwood Meadows were able to
donate more than $250 of food items that
the pantry had suggested. Another $350 in
cash and check donations for the mission
of the Agape Help House, was received
to assist low income, disabled and elderly
families who have difficulty meeting their
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Agape House Food Pantry in Pacific cares for families in the
Meramec Valley R3 School District.
monthly financial needs.
The Agape House provides assistance
through its on-site pantry and in helping to
pay utility bills, rent/mortgage assistance,
pharmacy assistance and other needs on an
individual basis.
“The people who staff Agape House –
both paid employees and volunteers – are
the real heroes,” Broyles told West Newsmagazine.
To learn how you can help, visit
agapehousepacific.org.
MUNICIPALITIES, from page 11
on the opening process. Flower said the letter
was issued in response to multiple calls he
had received from local businesses about the
proposed May 4 reopening.
“Almost none of the businesses that are
closed right now have the ability to open May
4,” Flower said in the April 30 letter. “There
are many reasons for this, including staff layoffs,
plans to transition from current limited
operations, time to set up and adjust to social
distance guidelines, ordering of inventory
and increased sanitation efforts. This clearly
states that businesses need time and additional
guidance to get up and running even
after there is a goal date. In addition, business
[sic] and residents are rightly concerned
about the health issue, and it would benefit
both to see the efforts that are being put into
making businesses safe.”
Flower stated that phase one of the recovery
plan for restaurants or retail businesses,
which are addressed in Parson’s order, will
consist of working with the city to use the
recovery plan guidelines to create plans for
reopening by May 15.
For ongoing updates about upcoming
events, including Eureka Days, visit www.
eureka.mo.us for more information.
Manchester
In accordance with the county’s ongoing
stay-at-home order, the city of Manchester
also has opted to cancel many of
its scheduled classes and events. While the
city announced on April 27 that any and all
events occurring before May 8, the city has
also taken steps toward altering some of its
summertime amenities and festivals in the
interest of public safety and social distancing.
On April 26, the city also took an online
Facebook poll asking if individuals would
utilize the Manchester Aquatic Center’s pool
if it was re-opened to the public. As of the
end of April, the poll had over 500 replies
with a 62% approval rating of re-opening the
pool for public use.
As of press time, the pool remained closed
until further notice.
The city’s Park, Recreation & Arts Department
has also released scheduling changes
and updates for some upcoming summer
events.
From May 11-22, the city will host an interactive
event called Manchester Monopoly.
Participating businesses will place monopoly
squares in the windows. Participants can then
drive around and collect the pieces to fill up
their monopoly board for the chance to win
prizes.
The event’s format was previously utilized
for one of Manchester’s Easter egg hunts,
which saw the participation of over 400 local
families.
The city has officially postponed the 2020
Craft Beer Festival to July 11 at Paul A.
Schroeder Park. The event will offer music,
food and samplings of beer from local craft
breweries.
For more information or updates on specific
events or amenities, visit www.manchestermo.gov.
Town & Country
Town & Country’s City Hall has remained
closed to walk-in traffic since March 24. Inperson
services, such as drop-offs or pickups,
are being conducted by appointment
only. All in-person meetings at city hall and
the Longview Farm Park Farmhouse have
also been canceled.
While the city’s physical buildings and
offices are closed, normal city operations are
continuing as usual.
Town & Country’s parks, including
Longview Farm Park, Drace Park and
Preservation Park are open. However, hightouch
areas like restrooms, playgrounds and
tennis courts will remain closed. The city’s
trail network connecting all the parks is also
open, with paths running counter-clockwise.
According to the city’s website, social distancing
protocol is being enforced at all locations
and will continue to be implemented
until further notice.
According to Parks and Recreation Director
Anne Nixon, events such as the city’s
Town Square Concert Series in June and the
annual Fire & Ice Festival have been cancelled
as of May 1. For more information
or updates about ongoing events, visit townand-country.org.
Wildwood
The city of Wildwood officially canceled
all of its events and pavilion rentals through
June. However, Wildwood still has multiple
events on its calendar for residents that are
eager to get out this summer.
While all the city’s programming for
seniors has been canceled until further notice,
individuals ages 60 and up can continue to
attend weekly yoga classes virtually from
home. Classes occur every Friday, and registration
is available at www.cityofwildwood.
com.
The Wildwood Plein Air event that was
originally scheduled for May 4, has been
officially rescheduled for Sept. 26.
Concerts in the city’s upcoming Music on
Main series also have been canceled for the
sake of enforcing social distancing measures.
Both the May 15 concert featuring Fat Pocket
and the June 19 concert with Lost Wax have
been canceled. According to the city’s website,
the second half of the concert series is
set to run as scheduled. The series will begin
with a performance by Griffin and The Gargoyles
on July 17 and a finale concert on
Aug. 21 where the band was not selected as
of press time.
Both concerts will begin at 6:45 p.m. at
the Main Street Stage in Wildwood’s Town
Center.
According to Gary Crews, superintendent
of parks and recreation, the city also plans
to host its annual Farmer’s Market in Town
Center on May 23.
The city’s Back-to-School party is still
scheduled for the end of August. However,
Crews said that all dates remain tentative.
“We’re still in limbo at this point,” Crews
said.
Wildwood City Hall, located in Town
Center, has been limiting the number of
entrants since March 26 and will continue to
do so until further notice. Instead, residents
are encouraged to conduct city business or
reach out to employees via email, telephone
or video conferencing. City Council and
Planning & Zoning participants also have the
option to participate in meetings via video- or
tele-conferencing means.
All other committees or boards deemed
non-essential have been requested to cease
meeting until the stay-at-home order has
been lifted or other governmental measures
regarding gathering spaces have been
enacted.