Local organization cooks up fish fry on Labor Day for the homeless
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Labor Day gives many people a day off, but for some, it’s just another Monday at work.
A Columbus organization is striving to work with a cause on Labor Day.
The PAND group hosts a fish fry to raise money for homeless initiatives.
Eating and shopping are common activities you can find families doing on Labor Day.
The PAND group sees that as an opportunity to showcase its organization and mission to help the community.
This fish fry is cooking up a cause, helping the homeless in Columbus.
“We wanted to figure out how we could be able to serve the community and which effort would be best,” Angela Verdell said. “A few of us have encountered some homelessness situations over recent months, and so we figured that would be a really good cause to support with this event.”
PAND member Angela Verdell said the group aims to help those in need the best way they can.
“We started this group as a way to be able to help our community, and we’ve always been committed to that our whole lives,” Verdell said. “So, to be able to be here today with our kickoff event with giving back to the community is huge. We hope people will come out and that they will support. One person can make a difference in the life of another person. So with all of us being in together, we know that it is going to work out good and somebody is going to be blessed because of it.”
There has been a 6% increase in homelessness in the state in 2023.
Verdell said PAND wants to find solutions to help those in need, even on a holiday, knowing there’s people without a home.
“Typically Labor Day is a day people are off, not having to go to work but we thought it would be a perfect day to be able to cook up some food, fish and, some hot dogs so people wouldn’t have to worry about that as they’re taking the day off or people who may happen to be working that can reach out to us and let us know what the order is and we will have it ready for them as they drive through and take it to go,” Verdell said.
The PAND group said the fish fry is only a kickoff of events planned to help the community.
