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CAC receives grant
CACWEB
The Healing Trust made a donation to Childrens Advocacy Center to help heal children who have suffered abuse or neglect. Pictured, from left, are The Healing Trust chief financial officer Matt Deeb, senior program officer Meredith Benton, president and CEO Kristen Keely-Dinger, and program associate Catherine Smith.
Lisa Hobbs
Updated: Jul 22, 2017, 6:01 PM
Published: Jul 22, 2017, 7:02 PM

The Children’s Advocacy Center for the 31st Judicial District has received a grant for $19,976 from The Healing Trust.
According to CAC director Martha Phillips, the grant will be used to expand the trauma-focused counseling for victims of severe child abuse and/or neglect.
“Children who have been abused often experience feelings of guilt and shame that are intensified by the real or perceived judgments of others and the general stigma surrounding child abuse. Silence within families and/or communities serves to further isolate these victims and their caregivers,” said Phillips. “This silence makes it difficult for victimized families to express their emotions, process the impact of abuse or obtain the necessary support which allows them to move forward.”
The long-term consequences of abuse and neglect can be devastating to both the child and society. A child who is severely mistreated may become depressed or develop suicidal, withdrawn or violent behavior. As a child of abuse or neglect gets older, they may use drugs or alcohol, try to run away, refuse discipline, abuse others, or engage in sexual risk-taking.
Approximately 45 percent of pregnant teens report a history of child abuse. As adults, they may develop health issues, marital difficulties, depression, violent or suicidal behavior.
The Healing Trust awarded funds totaling over $1 million in its most recent grant cycle. 
“We are deeply grateful for the life-changing work done by these 30 grantee partners,” said Kristen Keely-Dinger, The Healing Trust president and CEO. “Their efforts to improve the health of our community is inspiring, and we look forward to working in partnership with them.”
Recipients of the contributions include nonprofit organizations from 40 counties in Middle Tennessee that focus on advocacy, physical health, mental health, recovery from alcohol and drug abuse or healing from abuse, neglect, and violence. This year’s grants bring the collective grant making of The Healing Trust to over $77 million since 2002.
If you know or suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call 1-877-237-0004 to report your suspicion. Child abuse reports may be anonymous.
To learn more about Children’s Advocacy Center and its services visit www.childadvocacycenter31.org or call 931-507-2386.
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Published: Apr 2, 2025, 11:31 PM

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