News & Events

Podcast #48 Maddie Norris on the Power of Youth Volunteering

Jul 30, 2026

Maddie Norris, a Jones County high school senior, shares how volunteering at The Filling Station’s food pantry shaped her compassion and nursing career goals.

Nutrition Education Classes – Budgeting, Shopping Smart, Healthy Living

Jul 29, 2026

What does FILLING your HEALTH account look like? Taking responsibility and registering for Nutrition classes right here Jones County NC – Kick off class is August 13th The Filling Station Click this LINK and register today: N.C. State Extension: Jones County Family & Consumer Sciences If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?

Podcast #47: Bridging Food and Meds, Heart Health with Mary Hoffman

Jul 28, 2026

Nutrition program leader, Marcy Hoffman, joins The Filling Station podcast to share heart-healthy foods, warning signs, and simple daily habits for a stronger heart.

Episode #46 – Emoni Burgess, Get Ready for the Jones County Heritage Festival

Jul 28, 2026

Emoni Burgess previews the 17th annual Jones County Heritage Festival: a new family movie night, farmer’s market, hayride, and more.

Episode #45-Joint Health: Small Steps, Lasting Independence

Jul 27, 2026

Marcy Hoffman joins The Filling Station to explore joint health — nutrition, movement, and daily habits that protect mobility and independence as you age.

Episode #44 – Comfort Elementary’s Elizabeth Thompson on Jones County Schools

Jul 23, 2026

Comfort Elementary principal Elizabeth Thompson shares her first year in Jones County, new sixth-grade plans, and growing community support.

Episode #43-Building Your Immune System (Bridging Foods and Meds Series Finale)

Jul 16, 2026

This episode wraps up our six-part “Bridging Foods and Meds” series, and we’re closing it out with a topic everyone can use: immunity. Host Mary Ann LeRay sits down with Marcy Hoffman, the Filling Station’s onsite nutrition education program lead, to break down what your immune system actually is and how the small choices you make every day either strengthen it or wear it down. Marcy describes the immune system as your body’s “security team”: organs, tissues, cells, and even your skin, all working together with an innate defense that responds immediately and an adaptive defense that learns from every […]

Episode #42 – Estate planning, beneficiaries, and legacy gifts for community impact

Jul 9, 2026

Host Mary Ann LeRay welcomes back Kristen Mihaljevic, Director of Development at the North Carolina Community Foundation (NCCF), for a follow-up conversation that picks up right where the last episode left off. This time, the focus turns to estate planning and legacy giving – and why these “difficult conversations” are so much easier to have before a crisis than in the middle of one. The timing matters. Baby boomers hold more wealth than any generation before them, and as Mary Ann notes, they value choices, options, and creative ways to fuel what matters most to their communities. Kristen explains how […]

Episode #41 – Simple ways to give wisely with the North Carolina Community Foundation

Jul 9, 2026

In this episode, host Mary Ann LeRay sits down with Kristen Mihaljevic, Director of Development at the North Carolina Community Foundation (NCCF), to explore something every supporter of The Filling Station should know about: simple, smart ways to give that don’t require writing a check, swiping a credit card, or hiring an attorney. Kristen brings more than a decade of community foundation experience to the conversation, and she doesn’t shy away from a challenge many donors know all too well – the year-end flood of appeals and email solicitations that can leave even the most generous hearts feeling fatigued. Her […]