Pop-up food distributions are happening!

We sat down with Austin Swallow, the Food For The Hungry Board President! They are getting started early this year by helping families with some pop-up food distributions in our community.

Austin tells us the motivation behind these events and he gives us the details on one happening very soon! He also talks about the upcoming Food For The Hungry Drive happening in December.

To learn more about FFTH click HERE!

Make Thanksgiving even better this year!

Today on The Morning Thing, Marcy and Xander explored some great ways to take Thanksgiving to the next level! These are tips that will make you and your family love the holiday even more.

Some of our favorites:

  • Start a New Tradition
  • Combine Travel with a Tourist Activity
  • Choose a Friends-giving or a self-giving act

To view the full list click HERE! You won’t regret it!

It is collection week for Operation Christmas Child!

We spoke with Jill Haught who is part of the Operation Christmas Child Central Ohio Team and oversees church relations in Knox County.

Jill shared a little about her role with the ministry and why it is special to her. She also gave some advice for packing shoeboxes and told us where to take them.

Lastly, she listed some goals that they have for this year’s collection and told us how we can be praying for Operation Christmas Child!

This years goals for our local collection points:

Brandon Baptist Church – 4,457 Boxes

Faith Baptist Church – 1,201 Boxes

To learn more about Operation Christmas Child click HERE!

To find local collection points click HERE!

MVNU’s performance of Handel’s Messiah is this Sunday!

We got the chance to speak with Dr. Bob Tocheff, MVNU Professor of Music, about their upcoming performance of Handel’s Messiah!

This is MVNU’s 57th performance and Bob has been directing for the past 35 years.

He shares with us an overview of the program and dives a little into each of the three parts. He also explains how this event helps MVNU students and how important it can be.

To learn more about the performance click HERE!

Thanksgiving is 1 week away! Are you ready?

Today, The Morning Thing shared some great advice on how to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Here are some great tips that we found online to help you plan ahead and be ready to enjoy this special holiday.

๐Ÿ›’ 1. Plan and Shop

  • Finalize your menu.ย Decide exactly what dishes youโ€™ll serve (and what guests might bring).
  • Make a detailed grocery list.ย Include all ingredients, drinks, and supplies like foil, plastic wrap, and napkins.
  • Do your big grocery run.ย Get non-perishables, frozen items, and anything that can store well for a week. (Avoid the last-minute rush!)
  • Order your turkey.ย If you havenโ€™t yet, make sure itโ€™s purchased or reserved.

๐Ÿฆƒ 2. Prep the Turkey

  • If you bought aย frozen turkey, move it to the fridge toย thawย โ€” it can take up toย 4โ€“5 daysย depending on the size.
  • Check you have a roasting pan, thermometer, and carving knife.

๐Ÿฝ๏ธ 3. Get Your Kitchen Ready

  • Clean out the fridgeย to make space for ingredients and leftovers.
  • Sharpen knivesย and clean cookware, baking sheets, and serving dishes.
  • Label serving plattersย or sticky-note them (โ€œmashed potatoes here,โ€ โ€œstuffing hereโ€) to stay organized.

๐Ÿก 4. Prepare Your Home

  • Clean main areasย (kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, entryway).
  • Plan table seating and dรฉcor.ย Make sure you have enough chairs, plates, glasses, and utensils.
  • Set aside time toย decorateย โ€” candles, fall centerpieces, or a festive tablecloth go a long way.

๐Ÿ•’ 5. Plan the Timeline

  • Create aย cooking scheduleย for the week and Thanksgiving Day. (e.g., pies the day before, casseroles in the morning, turkey in at noon.)
  • Make aย to-do listย for each day leading up to the holiday.

๐Ÿ‘ช 6. Coordinate with Guests

  • Confirm whoโ€™s coming andย what timeย theyโ€™ll arrive.
  • Double-check whoโ€™sย bringing what dishesย or drinks.
  • Plan for anyย dietary needsย (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.).

๐Ÿฐ 7. Start Early Prep

  • Make andย freeze pie dough, casseroles, or rollsย if possible.
  • Chop veggies ahead of time and store them in labeled containers.
  • Prepare any make-ahead dishes like cranberry sauce or gravy base.

We got the chance to talk with John Chidester about the library’s collection for Food For The Hungry!

We spoke with John Chidester, Director of the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County, about their collection for Food For The Hungry.

He shared a brief history of their involvement with the drive, and he tells us which branches they accept donations at.

John also explains why he believes it is important to support Food For The Hungry.

To learn more about the library’s collection click HERE!

Byron Saunders Foundation Helps Give Thanksgiving Meals to Families in Need

Ginny Williams talked with WNZR’s Eric Brown about the Byron Saunders Foundation and some of itโ€™s history.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation!

It started in 2003 with only 20 meals and its grown so much. It started with the idea of just helping families have meals and itโ€™s grown to be such a large part of Thanksgiving. It just started with people checking on neighbors and now it gone beyond that to a widespread to reach families and have a meal on Thanksgiving.

Ginny talks about how families can get a meal for Thanksgiving. All you have to do is either call or text to get a full boxed meal and certificate to get meats for Thanksgiving by calling 740-324-9503 to help get signed up.

The last pickup for the year is this Saturday, November 22nd at their new facility at Habitat for Humanity in Mount Vernon.

She also talks about ways you can help support their work through donations and volunteering. The Knox County community has been very supportive, and theyโ€™ve been so blessed with smaller groups whoโ€™ve done food drives with a small list of things they need for their meal boxes. They sell tickets at the Knox County Fair and she explains how the community helps with that as well as other fundraisers run to help them as well as the Food for the hungry who helps support them as well as so many others.

She also thanks Habitat for Humanity and their help by giving them a permanent location and theyโ€™re so thankful for having a location and not having to go from place to place to try to keep working all year. Sheโ€™s so thankful for the community support to keep this foundation working.

She talks about the goals for the community to end the season, they need volunteers for the ticket booth at the Knox County fairgrounds. If you see something for their foundation, put some nonperishable food in there like cans, or call their number.

They have food that needs to be delivered for them if you have time to help them and helping people who canโ€™t go to get their turkey.

Click HERE to find out more about the Byron Saunders Foundation.

The Knox Community Jazz Orchestra is benefitting FFTH for the 4th year!

Eric Brown got to speak with the Knox Community Jazz Orchestra Director, Ted Buehrer! Ted talks about their partnership with Food For The Hungry and talks about the concert. It is more than just a concert so he also details the entire event and lets you know what to bring!

To learn more about the KCJO click HERE!

Madeline Grace Banta takes on the role of Sara Crewe!

Madeline Grace Banta from Orange Barrel Productions is acting in The Little Princess, and she plays Sara Crewe.

She tells us all about her acting history and she gives us the scoop on her role. Madeline highlights the production as well by telling us about the story and her favorite moments.

WNZR Alumni Celebrate 39th Anniversary!

Alumni showed their love for WNZR and its ministry to the Knox County Community Saturday as they returned for our 39th anniversary!

Click HERE to hear all the conversations!

Some turned radio into a profession while others used the tools they learned to help them in the professional world outside the communications industry.

It was heartwarming to hear how this radio station and its ministry have impacted their lives.

Even the man who made sacrifices to help start WNZR, Bill Bridges (pictured with Joe and Marcy Rinehart) gave a short testimony.

Others who stopped by:

  • Ben Alexander
  • Dana Hicks
  • Doug Speicher
  • Grayson Willis
  • Jane Mikulec
  • MacKenzie Holder
  • Mia Reid
  • NayNay Parker
  • Ray Bridges (Billโ€™s son)
  • Victor Veigel
  • Zoe Middaugh

Click HERE to check out WNZRโ€™s website!

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