The Steward's Mandate: Food, Fight, and Fortitude (Issue #35)

The Hardware Store That Became a Food Bank, Plus: The Cost of Giving Up

AuthorAuthor

Ravi Patel & Rinnah Patel
November 04, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Good morning Stewards,

A local hardware store just turned part of their business into a food pantry, 120 volunteers transformed veterans' facilities, and a Smyrna athlete won a 100K mountain bike race in Alabama.

This week, November's Beaver Supermoon will grace our skies as the closest and brightest full moon of 2025, reaching its perigee—the nearest point to Earth—for a spectacular display. Let’s get into it.

In Today's Edition

  • 🌕 This Week: Beaver Supermoon & Perfect Fall Weather

  • 🛠️ Difference Makers: Vickery Hardware Launches Honor-System Food Pantry

  • 🎖️ Veterans Week: American Legion & VFW Posts Transformed by 120 Volunteers

  • 🚴 Local Champion: Smyrna's Ali Lecraw Wins 100K Mountain Bike Race

  • 🍽️ SNAP Crisis: Benefits Restart at Half Payment, Delayed for Weeks

  • 👮 Community Connection: 70 Teasley Students Learn Crime Scene Investigation

  • 🎉 Community Events, 💼 Job Listings, & more!

— Your Voice for Local Prosperity

THE WEATHER REPORT
☀️ November Is Off To A Beautiful Start

  • ☀️ Today - Thursday: Sunny skies with highs between 71° and 76°, and lows in the low 40s at night.

  • 🌤️ Friday: Mostly sunny with a high of 74° and a low of 55°—the warming trend continues!

  • 🌥️ Weekend: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the 70s, dropping to the upper 60s.

  • 🥶 Next Monday: Sunny but significantly cooler at 53°/32°—prepare for the first real cold snap!

DIFFERENCE MAKERS
🛠️ When Your Hardware Store Becomes a Lifeline

Photo Credit: Vickery ACE Hardware

Vickery Hardware at 800 Concord Road just launched something you don't see every day: a "Little Free Library" stocked with stable food items instead of books.

How It Works:

  • Owner shops for food items, replenishes daily

  • Honor system - no forms, no questions, just take what you need

  • Box outside building, accessible 24/7 even after hours

  • Community donations accepted (bring inside to staff)

Why This Matters: Owner keeps prices low despite tariff-driven cost increases on metals and plastics, operating on tight margins. Pays employees well. Now buying food supplies personally to help neighbors facing hard times.

"The owner has a sympathetic heart and genuinely cares for people, especially those who are vulnerable," one customer wrote. "They do not make a lot, and aren't rich owners, though they maybe could choose to be. Instead, they pay their employees well and support their community in other ways."

- Smyrna Resident

Other Local Food Resources:

  • MUST Ministries: Pat Mell Road location, school food pantries

  • Atlanta Community Food Bank: Austell Road

  • Church pantries: Church Street (near senior center), Cooper Lake & S. Cobb Dr (across from Walgreens)

  • Our Giving Garden: Fresh produce

This is the power of local—businesses that choose community over maximum profit margins, even when times get tough.

DIFFERENCE MAKERS
🎖️ 120 Volunteers Transform Local Veterans' Facilities

Photo Credit: Cobb County Courier

What They Built:

  1. American Legion Post 160 (Smyrna):

  • Community garden for fresh produce

  • Outdoor gathering space for veterans and families

  • Space for respite, reflection, fellowship

  1. VFW Post (Powers Ferry Road, Marietta):

  • New office flooring

  • Parking lot repairs

  • Slip-resistant coverings to reduce fall risks

  • Overall appearance upgrade

The Impact:

  • 550 volunteer hours

  • $20,000 in volunteer service value

  • 45,000+ people impacted

  • 20,000 veterans served through these facilities

"Their work didn't just repair buildings—it restored dignity, safety, and community for the veterans who have given so much to our nation,"

- RTA director Mike Orum.

Veterans Day This Week: Monday, November 11 marks Veterans Day—originally Armistice Day, commemorating the end of WWI on November 11, 1918.

Support local veterans' organizations year-round. These facilities serve thousands of veterans and families who need more than one day of recognition.

COMMUNITY VOICES
🎃 Is the Spirit Fading? Why Your Neighbors Are—or Aren't—Decorating

A recent conversation on our local Nextdoor platform revealed a divide: Why aren't people decorating for Halloween like they used to? For some, the decline is a nostalgic disappointment; for others, it's a financial or personal necessity.

This debate isn't just local—it touches on three major shifts affecting all Smyrna-Vinings residents: economics, safety, and the changing definition of "community fun."

💸 The Biggest Barrier: Cost & Effort

The #1 reason neighbors cited for opting out is the effort and expense. National data confirms that hosting a highly decorated home has become a major financial decision:

  • Candy Inflation is Real: The cost of popular Halloween candy packs has jumped between 12% and 22% this year, far outpacing general inflation.

  • Tariff Trouble: Because over 85% of decorations and costumes are imported, tariffs have driven up the price of popular items like giant yard skeletons.

  • The Bottom Line: Nearly a third of Americans who usually decorate say they will not be decorating this year due to budget pressure.

"This economy is sucking everyone dry lol."

- Smyrna Resident

🚗 Trunk-or-Treat vs. The Trick-or-Treat Trail

The second major shift is a change in logistics. Centralized events like Trunk-or-Treat—often held in parking lots for safety and accessibility—are pulling kids away from traditional neighborhood walking:

Tradition

Status & Context

Traditional Door-to-Door

Declining: A recent poll showed that 74% of respondents had fewer trick-or-treaters in 2023 than in previous years.

Centralized Events

Rising: They offer a controlled, convenient environment, favored by parents who prioritize safety and maximizing candy with minimal walking.

Community Impact

Erosion: While safe, this shift removes the organic, casual interaction that traditionally connects neighbors on a block-by-block basis.

LOCAL LEGENDS
🚴 Smyrna's Ali Lecraw Conquers 100K Mountain Bike Race

Photo Credit: Calhoun Journal

Ali Lecraw of Smyrna won the women's 100K mountain bike race at the inaugural Life Time Coldwater Trail event in Alabama, finishing in 5:39:18.

The Race:

  • 100 kilometers (62 miles) of mountain biking

  • Coldwater Mountain trail system, Anniston, Alabama

  • 600+ athletes from 34 states and Canada

  • Leadville Trail 100 qualifier event

What This Means: 100K mountain bike races aren't casual weekend rides. They're grueling endurance tests requiring months of training, mental toughness, and physical conditioning. Lecraw didn't just finish—she won against competitors from across North America.

Her victory qualifies her for the prestigious Leadville Trail 100 MTB in Colorado, one of the most challenging mountain bike races in the world. That's worth celebrating.

PUBLIC PULSE
🍽️ Food Benefits Restart at Half Payment, Weeks of Delays Expected

SNAP benefits restart this week, but recipients will get only half their normal payment—and it could take weeks to months for some to receive anything.

What's Happening:

  • Trump administration using $4.65 billion Agriculture contingency fund

  • Only enough for half of the $8 billion in monthly food assistance

  • Federal judges ruled freezing benefits unlawful

  • State systems must recode for reduced payments

Local Impact:

  • 42 million Americans rely on SNAP (1 in 8 U.S. residents)

  • Average $187 monthly per person

  • 39% of recipients are children under 18

  • Georgia seniors expressing worry and frustration

The Delays: State agencies must recode eligibility systems for reduced benefits. Government warns this "will take anywhere from a few weeks to up to several months" in some states.

Loading benefit cards typically takes a week or more. Many recipients normally get benefits early in the month—those payments are already weeks late.

Food Banks Can't Fill the Gap: "It's nearly impossible to make up the gap that SNAP is leaving us," said Elizabeth Keever of Harvesters food bank in Kansas City. "Food banks can't necessarily fill it."

What You Can Do: Support local food pantries (see Vickery Hardware story above). If you can afford to donate non-perishable items, local families need help right now.

PUBLIC PULSE
👮 Teasley Students Learn Crime Scene Investigation

Photo Credit: Smyrna PD

Smyrna Police Department hosted 70 Teasley Elementary students for a field trip showing how evidence processing works in real investigations.

What Students Experienced:

  • Station 1: Hands-on activity with Crime Scene Technicians

  • Station 2: Police Department and 911 Communications Center tour

  • Station 3: Up-close look at patrol car and Crime Scene Van

  • Special visits from Councilmember Gould and Chief Zgonc

Students learned how every item found at a crime scene plays an important role in investigations—lessons about attention to detail, evidence preservation, and systematic thinking that apply far beyond police work.

These interactions build trust between young people and law enforcement while teaching critical thinking skills. When kindergarteners and elementary students see police as educators and community helpers, they're more likely to view law enforcement as approachable as they grow up.

🎉 Upcoming Events

Arts Council Lecture: "Ceramics" | 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM, Nov 6 🎨

  • Location: Smyrna Public Library, 100 Village Green Circle SE (Meeting Room)

  • Description: Explore the rich history and evolution of ceramics as an art form with local artist Kimm Martin. Registration is requested for this free lecture sponsored by the Smyrna Arts Council.

LEGO Club | 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Nov 10

  • Location: Smyrna Public Library, 100 Village Green Circle SE (Meeting Room)

  • Description: Kids (ages 5-10) get bricks and inspiration to create a unique design; this month's theme is "Dream room." This is a free drop-in event, and adult supervision is required. DUPLO bricks are available for children 4 and under.

Run Smyrna | 6:30-8:30PM, Nov 10 and Every Monday

  • Location: Stout Brothers, 1265 W Spring St

  • Description: Meet fellow runners for a relaxed 3–5 mile run

Holiday Closing Notice - Veterans Day | All Day, Nov 11 🗓️

  • Notice: City of Smyrna offices are closed in observance of Veterans Day. Public safety remains operational.

  • Description: Curbside sanitation for the week is adjusted: Tuesday routes will be picked up on Monday, Nov 10. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday routes are unchanged. No yard waste or large items will be collected this week.

Smyrna Veterans Day Ceremony | 10:45 AM - 11:50 AM, Nov 11

  • Location: Twentieth Century Veterans Memorial, 2800 King Street SE (next to City Hall)

  • Description: Join our community for this ceremony, organized by The Smyrna Veterans Committee, to honor our veterans.

💼 Local Job Board

  • United Distributors Group: Delivery Route Assistant [Apply here]

    • Smyrna, GA. Full-time role assisting drivers with product delivery, including loading, unloading, verifying contents, and stocking products at retail customer accounts. Requires a clean driving record and the ability to perform heavy lifting (up to 180 lbs).

    • Salary Note: Starting at $40k (annual salary).

👋 See You Next Tuesday

❝

Tough times never last, but tough people do.

— Robert H. Schuller

📬 Ready to dig deeper? : Sign up for the scoop on Smyrna-Vinings delivered right to your inbox every Tuesday @ 8 AM


— Ravi Patel

P.S. If you were moved by the SNAP Crisis report, remember the difference a small action can make. Vickery Hardware's honor-system pantry (800 Concord Rd) is accepting non-perishable donations inside. Let's make sure our neighbors have what they need this week.