Articles by Mike Rhodes

By Nick Werner— MUNCIE, IN — The Soup Kitchen of Muncie is proud to announce the appointment of Kristina Houk as its new Executive Director, effective January 1, 2025. Houk brings a wealth of experience in kitchen management, community outreach, marketing, and relationship building, as well as a deep commitment to addressing food insecurity and supporting the Muncie community. Houk succeeds Loretta Parsons, who retired after 13 years as Executive Director and 20 overall years of remarkable service to the Soup Kitchen. Under Parson’s leadership, the Soup Kitchen rebranded to improve marketing and outreach efforts, built new partnerships, navigated the…

By Lauren A. Schregardus— MUNCIE, IN—On Tuesday, December 10, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Comfort Cases, and Isaiah House 1:17 joined forces at the Ross Community Center in Muncie to host a heartwarming event aimed at improving the lives of foster care children throughout Delaware County. Approximately 40 local individuals including volunteers from these organizations, alongside local community partners, gathered to pack 200 backpacks filled with essential and comforting items for children entering local foster care. The backpacks, which included pajamas, socks, blankets, stuffed animals, books, activity materials, and hygiene kits, will be distributed to foster care organizations across…

By Juli Metzger— MUNCIE, IN—Research shows 90 percent of brain development occurs within the first five years of life. It’s one reason why early childhood engagements like play matters. That’s just one statistic that is driving the local Cradle to Career Muncie support network, a national movement that has emerged locally. C2CMuncie is made up of 9 Collaborative Action Networks each led by a local nonprofit, whose cross-sector team members focus on a timeline that goes from pre-kindergarten to career. These agencies and their teams have worked for more than two years to break down the data and plan a…