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Awesome T-shirts available for autism awareness race
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The Queens for a Cause Autism Awareness Team will hold its 4th annual 5K for Autism on Saturday, April 12 beginning at 8 a.m. downtown. This will be the team's first year using a newly altered faster route for this year's race, which encompasses downtown and Westwood. 
The race will also be held in conjunction with the first Music and Market on Main event.
This year's 5K T-shirt boasts a minion from the movie “Despicable Me” and the phrase “I was born to be awesome, not perfect. It's okay to be different.”
Queens for a Cause team captain Callie Durham said,  “This will be our second year to have teams participating and we already have more teams than last year.” 
Teams of 10 or more get a discount on the registration fee through Friday, March 28. Teams can wear the shirts included in their registration fee or can design their own shirts for their teams. 
Queens for a Cause will be giving awards to the team with the most members, the team that raises the most money (not including participation fees and sponsorship fees) and also to the team that shows the best team spirit.
Durham said, “It's a great opportunity for people in our community to come together for a great cause while also showing support for the individual or individuals they know with autism.”
Last year over 300 people participated in the event and the Queens for a Cause team is hoping to break its own record this year. 
Team member Darlene Bryant, said, “We have such a great community. The people of Warren County are always ready and willing to come together to help those in need. I am proud to be part of such a great team and be part of such a caring, generous community”. 
Bryant also said she hopes schools will get involved with the run by forming teams.
“We only have two school teams so far and those are Team Dibrell and Team Boyd Christian. Although, we do have a lot of teachers from Hickory Creek that usually participate.”
Everyone who enters the 5K run as a competitive participant will receive a bib tag and will be timed by a chip timing system. 
Early discounted registration is available through Friday, March 28.  Early registration fee is $25. Registration after Friday, March 28 is $30.
Teams of 10 or more who register before March 28 are $20 per person.
Registration forms may be picked up at Etch Gym, USA Gym, Civic Center, Chamber of Commerce, Homeland Bank, Security Federal Bank, Morrison City Hall, Morrison Library or Warren County Trustee's office.
Proceeds from last year's 5K were donated to Autism Speaks, the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee (ASMT) and Petey's Project. Autism Speaks' main focus is on research, ASMT deals with resources for autistic children and their families and Petey's Project is a local group working toward various projects to help all special needs children in Warren County.
Team members are Callie Durham, Darlene Bryant, Holly Hillis, Jeff and Anne Vance, Paula Wanamaker, Moe Gallagher, Marcy Bolding, Mark and Stephanie Keith, Melanie Stinson, Rob and Ashley Giddens, Rita Ward, Donna Poss, Tammy Keel and Brenda Wanamaker.
For more information contact any team member, check out the Queens for a Cause Facebook page or email     queensforacause@gmail.com or darbryant61@yahoo.com.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community