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Red Cross to hold Lively blood drive
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Updated: Dec 1, 2012, 9:19 PM
Published: Dec 1, 2012, 9:20 PM

The American Red Cross is holding its eighth annual blood drive in memory of former Warren County High School student Spencer Lively. Spencer’s love of community service and excitement about blood donation is the reason Cathy Greene chooses to honor her son’s memory with an annual blood drive.
“Spencer was an awesome person. He was outgoing, musically talented, intelligent and a friend to all,” said Greene. “He was also an old soul in a young body. Spencer gave blood for the first time two months before he died. He ate a big breakfast to prepare. He was really excited about giving blood and giving back to the community.”
Spencer was not your typical teen, his mother says. He was awarded the Who’s Who Among American High School Students and named to the National Honor Roll for three consecutive years. He was invited to participate in a summer performance program at Berklee College of Music in MA. He was also a Global Scholar Representative, Junior Statesman, and chosen at attend the Governor’s School. He was a member of the 2003 Homecoming Court, representing the junior class of 2005.
The 17-year-old high school junior had a bright future until his life was cut tragically short by “the choking game.”
“We have kids in our community doing it and, like me, their parents have no idea what’s going on,” said Greene. “I had no clue the danger my son was in.”
Despite its name, this high risk behavior is no game. Before her son’s death, Greene had never even heard of the choking game. To learn more about the choking game, visit: http://chokinggame.net.
As for the blood drive, all blood types are needed to help maintain a sufficient blood supply, especially type O negative. Type O negative blood, the universal blood type, is always in high demand because it can be transfused to patients with any blood type, especially in emergency situations.
The eighth annual Spencer Lively Blood Drive is set for Wednesday, Dec. 12, from 1 to 7 p.m. at McMinnville Civic Center. To make an appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation and enter the sponsor code: Spencer19
All presenting donors will be entered to win a $1,000 American Express gift card. You are also invited to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to the Warren County Rescue Squad Toy Drive.
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