July: Briefly in the News
The latest news featuring local restaurants during COVID-19, Columbia Public Schools, and giving back
Small Business
Local Restaurants Support Community During COVID-19
Striving to support our community during the pandemic, The Broadway Diner has been offering free meals to kids in need for over three months. Pizza Tree (owner John Gilbreth pictured above) also helped provide food to students through their partnership with EquipmentShare to host a deep-dish fundraiser party where all of the proceeds went to EquipmentShare’s No Child Hungry program. Almost $1,500 were raised and 53 pizzas were sold.
“We truly appreciate the dedication of those serving on the front lines of COVID-19, and we wanted to give back. We know a meal is just one small gesture, but we hope it lets them know we care.”
Matt Moore, president and CEO of Shelter Insurance
Giving Back
Area Insurance Companies Partner with Culver’s
Columbia Insurance Group, Missouri Employers Mutual, and Shelter Insurance have announced a partnership with Culver’s of Columbia to offer 12,000 meal vouchers for health care workers and first responders in Boone County. These insurance companies will fund a portion of the meals provided, and Culver’s will cover the remaining cost. Shaun and Olga Morris, owners and operators of Culver’s of Columbia, plan to distribute these vouchers to workers at MU Health Care, Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, Boone Hospital, and to area first responders.
Education
Columbia Public Schools Foundation Makes Donation
The Columbia Public Schools Foundation donated $25,000 to Columbia Public Schools to support the district’s efforts to provide meals to students throughout the summer. This donation from CPSF is part of a partnership with the CoMoHELPS COVID-19 Fund, a collaborative effort between various organizations throughout the community. This donation will help fund daily meal kits, bus transportation for delivery, and any unreimbursed food costs.
Stephens College Announces New Summer Program
Stephens College has announced an early college program for summer 2020. This program is designed to help high school students and entering college students get ahead in their college coursework. The early college program includes four online course options that are available to men and women at a reduced course fee. Courses offered in this program include English composition, art history, introduction to psychology, and chemistry in everyday life.
Columbia College and Moberly Area Community College Create New Program
Columbia College President Dr. Scott Dalrymple and Moberly Area Community College President Dr. Jeff Lashley recently announced a new partnership between the two institutions called the CC-MACC program. As part of this initiative, students from MACC will have the opportunity to live on the Columbia College campus while taking classes through MACC. The initiative’s ultimate goal is to reduce the potential time and cost for students to complete a bachelor’s degree at Columbia College and to augment academic advising partnerships between the student and the institutions.
Awards
Missouri Employers Mutual Awards Safety Grants
Missouri Employers Mutual awarded a total of $210,000 to 28 policyholders in Missouri for the implementation of new safety equipment to promote safer workplaces. This brings the total amount of safety grants awarded to $1.53 million since 2016. Nearly four years into the safety grants program, past recipients are seeing positive results, as their number of claims has drastically reduced since implementing the safety equipment purchased with these grants.
Nonprofit
United Way Supports Food Security for Families
Heart of Missouri United Way announced it is awarding $75,000 to support food security in the community. United Way has awarded $235,946 to 11 local nonprofits serving emergent community needs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, including a grant to the Columbia Public Schools Foundation to help provide free meals to children.