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

    By Jeremy | July 9, 2026 | Comments Off on Episode #42 – Estate planning, beneficiaries, and legacy gifts for community impact

    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 #40: Charlie Jones – Where Jones County Came From

    By Jeremy | July 2, 2026 | Comments Off on Episode #40: Charlie Jones – Where Jones County Came From

    Charlie Jones traces Jones County’s colonial roots, German settler history, and Wiley Jones’s role in the Bill of Rights on The Filling Station podcast.

  • Episode #39 – Donna Higgins: From Student to Principal

    By Jeremy | June 25, 2026 | Comments Off on Episode #39 – Donna Higgins: From Student to Principal

    Principal Donna Higgins went from Trenton Elementary student to its leader. Hear her story of mentorship, the Leader in Me program, and why Jones County’s kids are everything.

  • Episode #38 Bridging Food & Meds – Finding Balance Part 2

    By Jeremy | June 18, 2026 | Comments Off on Episode #38 Bridging Food & Meds – Finding Balance Part 2

    Marcy Hoffman of The Filling Station shares simple ways to build emotional balance, manage screen time, and protect rest in this most recent podcast. Part 2 on balance.

  • Episode #37: Bridging Food & Meds – Finding Balance From the Inside Out

    By Jeremy | June 11, 2026 | Comments Off on Episode #37: Bridging Food & Meds – Finding Balance From the Inside Out

    Mary Ann LeRay and Marcy explore balance as a whole-body practice, covering stress, movement, blood sugar, hormones, and sleep in the Bridging Foods and Meds series.

  • Episode #36: Sheron Bender – Feeding People First

    By Jeremy | June 4, 2026 | Comments Off on Episode #36: Sheron Bender – Feeding People First

    Sheron Bender, Filling Station vice chair and retired school counselor, shares how Hurricane Florence, 33 years with hungry kids, and one bold question shaped her mission to feed Jones County.

  • Episode #35: Mandy Gillis – A Principal Led by Purpose

    By Jeremy | May 21, 2026 | Comments Off on Episode #35: Mandy Gillis – A Principal Led by Purpose

    Mandy Gillis didn’t just find her way to Maysville Elementary. By her own account, she was led there. After 26 years in education, including a difficult final year in Onslow County during Hurricane Florence that took a real toll on her health, Mandy stepped back and trusted that the right path would open. It did, in the most unexpected way, during a conversation at Vacation Bible School. She updated her application materials on the spot, and the rest, as they say, is history. Seven years later, she is the current Jones County Principal of the Year and describes every day […]

  • Episode #34: Your Gut Is Talking. Are You Listening? A Practical Guide to Gut Health With The Filling Station

    By Jeremy | May 14, 2026 | Comments Off on Episode #34: Your Gut Is Talking. Are You Listening? A Practical Guide to Gut Health With The Filling Station

    Your Gut Is Talking. Are You Listening? A Practical Guide to Gut Health With The Filling Station

  • There’s Always Another Side: Faith, Endurance, and Joy With Marathon Swimmer Stephen Wargo

    By Jeremy | May 8, 2026 | Comments Off on There’s Always Another Side: Faith, Endurance, and Joy With Marathon Swimmer Stephen Wargo

    Solo marathon swimmer Stephen Wargo joins Mary Ann LeRay to talk faith, Lake Erie, the Neuse River Bridge Run, and finding joy through serving others.

  • Where Does Your Money Go? A Financial Wellness Conversation for Jones County (Episode #32)

    By Jeremy | May 3, 2026 | Comments Off on Where Does Your Money Go? A Financial Wellness Conversation for Jones County (Episode #32)

    Tommy Stanfield of Southern Bank joins Mary Ann LeRay to launch financial wellness workshops at The Filling Station. First session May 21 in Jones County.