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Friday, January 29th 2008
Be a Sweetheart...Help the Hungry
Knoxville, TN -- Someone special is usually on our minds as Valentine's Day approaches. In celebration of a relationship, gifts and cards are usually exchanged and oftentimes a wonderful meal is enjoyed. But there are others on Valentine’s Day who may not be so lucky as to share a hot, nutritious meal with someone they love. To help everyone have a meal, Mast General Store is partnering with Second Harvest in Knoxville to raise awareness of hunger in the East Tennessee with its fifth annual Be a Sweetheart...Help the Hungry event on February 9th - 10th.
"We are so grateful to the Mast General Store and all those who will be supporting Second Harvest Food Bank during the Be A Sweetheart event, said Elaine Machiela, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. "This outstanding effort will assist us in achieving our goal of Ending Hunger-Feeding Hope."
Fred Martin, vice president of the Mast General Store, commented, “Over the last four years, our Be a Sweetheart…Help the Hungry event has helped provide food to the America’s Second Harvest food banks serving our local communities. After the holidays, donations tend to wane, and we’re happy that we can provide a little boost during a slower time for giving.” This year Mast Store will contribute $1 for each pound of candy purchased on February 9th and 10th.
“According to research updated in August 2007, Hunger strikes one in seven East Tennesseans. In our community more than 245,000 people are at risk of going hungry on any given day,” said Machiela. “Second Harvest Food Bank serves 350 agencies in 18 East Tennessee Counties, and we estimate that we are currently only reaching about 1/3rd of the people living in hunger in our community. We are excited about this partnership," said Machiela. "It is a creative way to raise awareness of Second Harvest and the work it does in the community, and it’s always good when you can give a gift to someone you love and have it pay dividends in other ways, too."
Mast Store will also be accepting canned goods and contributions to Second Harvest over the Be a Sweetheart weekend – February 9th and 10th. For more information on how you can "Be a Sweetheart," call Second Harvest Food Bank at 865-521-0000 or the Mast Store in Knoxville at 865-546-1336.
Monday, January 4th 2008
A Journey of 5,000 Miles Begins with a Single Step
Knoxville, TN -- In a world where most people are reluctant to walk from the last space in a parking lot to the front door of a retail establishment, finding a person who would willingly take months to prepare and two years to walk more than 5,000 miles is a rare occurrence. But Scott Noethen is the type of person who would do such a thing.
Noethen, known by the trail name “Crash Test Dummy,” belongs to an elite group of hikers who have traversed both the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Eastern Continental Trail—a continuous footpath that runs from Cap Gaspe, Quebec to Key West, Florida. Noethen began his long distance hiking career in 1999 and has captured over 12,000 images of some of North America’s most beautiful trails since then. He credits the beauty of the trails with inspiring him to put one foot in front of the other, and he has logged roughly 10,000 trail miles since beginning his long-distance hiking career.
The Eastern Continental Trail is made up of distinct sections, which stretch across sixteen states and three Canadian provinces. These sections, which combine for 5,400 miles of trail, include the International Appalachian Trail, the Appalachian Trail, the Benton Mackaye Trail, the Georgia Pinhoti, the Alabama Pinhoti and the Florida National Scenic Trail .
While planning and saving money for his next big trip, which will take him on a trek along the spine of the Rocky Mountains, Noethen offers expert advice on outdoor activities to customers at the Mast General Store on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. He says “When people know you actually use the gear and know what you are talking about, they appreciate your advice. Experience goes a long way.” He should know; he has 13 pairs of worn out shoes to show for his more than 10,000 trail miles.
Scott will share stories about his journey of the Eastern Continental Trail on Monday, January 14, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. as part of Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, TN. Visit www.mypigeonforge.com for additional Wilderness Wildlife Week information and schedules.
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