1-ounce vodka Club soda Any combo of citrus, cucumber or mint Ice Fill your glass with ice, fruit, vodka and top with club soda. Make it without vodka and drink all day for relaxation. Citrus fruits—including lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit, pomelos, tangerines, and kumquats—are excellent sources of antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients, including vitamin C, fiber, folate and potassium. The aroma of citrus has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. If using vodka, please drink responsibly, ages 21+.

It isn’t complicated, says kidsPACK Executive Director, Patty Strickland, there’s an issue that needs to be solved. Unfortunately, it’s a problem invisible to many, even in a community as giving as Polk County. It all begins with community awareness and $25 a month. Executive Director Patty Strickland retired twice from the medical field. She started volunteering with kidsPACK before being asked by the board to step in and help. Five years later, she’s still here. “I do not see this as a job. This is a mission,” said Strickland. “I am very firmly convinced that this is where the Lord said, ‘You need to be because I’m not finished with you yet.’” Committing to a nonprofit is a world different from medical corporate, says Strickland. “You’ve got to come in with a heart and a passion for what you’re doing. The heart and passion of kidsPACK and one of the reasons I am firmly committed to kidsPACK is because there’s only one mission, and that is to feed hungry children.” Working alongside Strickland is kidsPACK Program Manager, Amy Royal who retired from Lockheed Martin and the Givewell Community Foundation. A friend on the kidsPACK board asked if she would come to speak with them. “I didn’t know it was an interview until I got here,” she smiled. The conversation she had with kidsPACK founder Randy Browning and Patty Strickland emboldened Royal for the cause. As a mother, she was always a proponent of public schools, all children receiving the same education and a fair chance. A discrepancy in the thousands, or at least lack of awareness thereof, of homeless, specifically homeless children was staggering to Royal. She joined the mission – that was almost two years ago. WHAT IS KIDSPACK? KidsPACK is a nonprofit organization that started in 2011 by Randy Browning with the sole mission of feeding hungry children. By working directly with teacher liaisons in schools throughout Polk and Hillsborough Counties, kidsPACK fills the gap for disadvantaged children by providing discrete backpacks with enough food for three meals a day over the weekends. The food in each pack is child-centric as well as easy to open and prepare as many of the kids they serve do not have access to running water or a microwave. “They go to school and get breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. Then what happens on Friday when they leave? There’s nothing for these children to eat. That’s why kidsPACK is important,” said Strickland. The program is strengthened by the ability to work directly through the school system. “We know that our mission is being met because they’re with the children, day in, usually a lot more than the families are,” said Strickland, explaining that the children they serve are homeless – living in cars, tents, in homeless camps, even under bridges. “There’s no guarantee that I can find a sponsor because when you’re starting out with about 4,000 children plus that are registered in the school system as being homeless and we only service about 1,800 – that’s a big gap,” said the executive director. It was about two and a half years ago that Strickland was at a Polk County School Board meeting and heard the statistic that there were 800 unaccompanied youth living on the street within the county. Their status of being “unaccompanied” also designated them as homeless. “I raised my hand and said, ‘We will help.’ Even though that’s not part of our program. We get no funding for that, absolutely nothing. It’s volunteer-based, donations only,” Strickland said. “The Lord told me to raise my hand, I raised my hand […] We have never, not met that need.” In addition to kidsPACKs, they can assist with familyPACKs when needed. If a teacher, who knows the needs of a certain student, tells the nonprofit that a child has a mom, dad, and sibling at home, kidsPACK will provide a familyPACK. These are comprised of donated food that can feed a family of four for five days with nonperishable items. “We get a large shipment from Publix to help with that,” Strickland noted. A few years ago, area coaches contacted kidsPACK with a need. Homeless kids and teenagers would eat lunch at school at 10:30 in the morning and would practice for a sport for one or two hours and go home hungry. KidsPACK started their P&J Project in which Publix provides them with peanut butter, Walmart donates items like Gatorade and chips, and the public schools, as well as Butter Krust, give day-old bread. They asked the coaches to approach local churches about starting a jelly drive to make the PB&Js. KidsPACK takes the discretion of the children they feed seriously. Every year, they receive the number of how many homeless students are enrolled in each school. They do not get the names, just the number of students. This crisis isn’t designated to a few schools. “There are homeless children in every school, in every zip code, in every neighborhood,” said Strickland. If you’re a parent, your child goes to school, even in private school, with a food-insecure child. THE FACE OF HOMELESSNESS At the onset of the pandemic, Strickland said the greatest fear for kidsPACK was the children – many of them living in cars without access to electricity, a refrigerator, a classroom. “They don’t even have the option of going into a kitchen and sitting at the kitchen table – they’re doing all of this out of the backseat of a car or on the ground of a tent,” she said. It is Strickland’s mission to change the view our community has of the face of homelessness. “The average age of a homeless person in Polk County is nine,” said Royal. Not to say that adult homelessness and hunger are not important – they most certainly need to be addressed. Strickland’s focus is simply different. “My concern is that we change the vision of the gentleman standing on the street to a family of four living in a car or living in a friend’s backyard. [...] We hear stories from the schools that will break your heart.” One such situation involved a mother living in a house with her three children. There was nothing in the house – no furniture, no food. The family had been surviving off nothing but water for three days. Strickland continued, “Or you have a gentleman living in an orange grove with a special needs child. The reason he’s living there is because he’s afraid the state will take his child away from him because he lost his housing because he lost his job.” Homelessness is also the face of a high school student whose mother was Baker Acted. With no place to go but her car, she was allowed to live in it until her mother was released. “She was 15 and celebrated her 16th birthday in that car,” said Strickland. “It’s a lovely story and a lovely mission, but it is so hidden in this community. We sit in Lakeland, Florida. Polk County is the third largest philanthropic area in Florida and we have the fifthhighest child homeless population,” said Royal. COMING TOGETHER DURING COVID The virus has put a halt to many things, child hunger has not been one. KidsPACK has not stopped for a moment. With their network of schools, churches, organizations like Parker Street Ministries and the Mission of Winter Haven, volunteers, and corporate sponsors, they have been able to continue feeding children – though they have had to shift their execution. When churches initially closed months ago, kidsPACK lost 17 pack and deliver sites. They opened their facility in Lakeland, adhering to CDC guidelines to groups of ten in the morning and ten in the afternoon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to pack. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, volunteers would sort food. “Then, on Wednesday morning this whole parking lot was full of wrapped meals going to different organizations, and we had volunteers who loaded their cars up and delivered. We may be facing that in the upcoming season,” said Strickland. KidsPACK contacted the schools that were doing lunch pick-ups as well as Parker Street Ministries and The Mission of Winter Haven. “In Polk County, a lot of our kids, over half of them are bussed to schools. They don’t go to their neighborhood school anymore,” said Royal. Many of the children who live around Parker Street Ministries go there after school for tutoring, summer programs, and the like. KidsPACK was able to deliver meals there and to the schools doing meal pick-ups to get food in the hands of the children they serve. “Teachers that did not have a hot meal program in their schools, a lot of them still got meals and hand-delivered them to our kids,” said Strickland. “That’s how committed the teachers are within the school system.” “It was a network of people making certain that these children continued to be fed,” said Strickland. The nonprofit continued to feed between 1,100 and 1,200 children a week despite the obstacles. School may be out for summer break, but kidsPACK continues to meet needs. Churches and other organizations, even teachers and principals pick up kidsPACKs and deliver them to children during the summer – sometimes as many as 100 students per school. Their biggest issue wasn’t the loss of 17 packing facilities, it was the suspension of buying power. The nonprofit would typically buy in bulk but no longer could. They started scouring Publix, Walmart, Sam’s Club – anywhere they could find bulk items. “Instead of a child’s lunch being $6, it went to being $9.20,” said Strickland. They reached out to the community for financial and purchasing help, requesting folks pick up ten cans of Chef Boyardee, or Pop-Tarts, or applesauce when they were grocery shopping. “Our community stepped up,” she said. The buying power is still not there and may not fully open up anytime soon as coronavirus cases continue to rise. Depending on whether or not schools reopen, Strickland says, “It’s going to be a different arena, but I can tell you our commitment and our mission and with the networking of the individuals that we have and with community awareness, we will meet the needs of every child.” HOW YOU CAN HELP “I think with community awareness, with our school system, and with kidsPACK, we can meet the needs of the children that need to be fed – but we also need to do more for them, like find them a home,” said Strickland. To its executive director, the importance and urgency of kidsPACK lie in speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves. “If someone does not lift these children up, does not allow them to be a part of society – because they are going to be our future leaders – then we’ve lost a generation that we should be ashamed of ourselves that we’ve lost,” she said. “We are part of the torch that brings light into the darkness of children that are going without food.” According to Royal, their fundraiser, Pack the Park in which they partner with the ballpark has been canceled. This and other fundraisers are a sizable piece of how they sustain their mission. “We’re not getting any relief between that $6 that we used to pay to the $9.20 that we’re paying now, and until we get our buying power back, we have to bridge that gap with money,” she said. You can bridge that gap by sponsoring a child. Monetary and food donations are always welcome and helpful, but for only $300 a year or $25 per month, you can sponsor a child. You can specify what school you want your sponsorship to go to and your money will only go to that one child, feeding them for 50 weeks. What is $25 a month to you? What could it be for a hungry student? Pull together funds with your family, friends, or church – $1,500 could mean feeding five children for an entire year. You can also volunteer. Sign up on their website and Amy Royal will send out an email when they need help with the day, time, any other requirements to help, and a link to sign up through Sign Up Genius. “I think each one of us has a duty to take care of children. They are the most vulnerable portion of our society. They didn’t ask to be in that situation and they really have no way of getting out of that situation unless they get an education,” said Strickland. “That is why I’m committed to kidsPACK because we work with the school system. If I can fuel their tummy, they can educate their mind – they have a way out of poverty.” kidsPACK www.kidspack.org FB @KidsPACKinc IG @kidspackinc Photo by Amy Sexson

We have been isolated from one another for months now. Every routine has been interrupted and all of our usual social gatherings have either been canceled or extremely limited. The challenge with this is that we are social beings. We are created for community. Even the most introverted person cannot thrive in complete isolation. I have been a full-time professor of Psychology and Human Services for more than a decade and one of my favorite lectures deals with the psychology of personality. Every person responds differently to various situations based upon their personality type. Whether it is the Enneagram, DISC, Myers Briggs, or another personality assessment, it is evident we all view the world through the lens of our own personality. Each one of us is born with inherent personality traits and throughout our lifetime certain aspects of this are nurtured and impacted by our environment. However, regardless of your personality type, we all need people. From the time we are born, we desperately require human connection. It isn’t enough to simply be around people, we need to feel connected to those people. If we do not possess these connections, the result is loneliness. Loneliness is the feeling of distress or discomfort when there is a gap between one’s desires for social connection and the actual experience of that connection. This can be real or perceived. If we perceive a lack of connection, then the result is the feeling of loneliness. Loneliness not only impacts our mental health, but has also been proven to impact our physical health. We all need people and people need us. In this season of social distancing, we have had to forfeit many of our usual means of social connection. While this benefits our physical health in reducing the likelihood of getting COVID-19, our mental health can suffer in the process. This means we have to get creative in continuing to forge human connections when physical proximity is not permitted. I have been a Pastor for the past 15 years. My husband and I Pastor Grace City Church and prior to Pastoring, I was a therapist. Throughout my years of helping people, the main thing I have observed is the need for real human connection. Not perceived connection, but actual connection. I am an introvert and I enjoy time alone. I find time alone actually refuels me to go back out and have to exert the energy of engaging with people. As a Pastor, Professor, and Speaker, everything I do involves people. It can be exhausting, but I have learned the art of how to refuel. The first couple of weeks of quarantine I found myself thrilled to be catching up on so many things that I had neglected and I was enjoying the time to myself. However, shortly thereafter, I found myself feeling distant from people I had always felt close to. I found myself craving community. I was beginning to get lonely. Keep in mind, I have an amazing husband, delightful kids, and incredible family and friends, but I was still getting lonely. I was not engaging with my community. I was neglecting it. How do we reap the benefits of community when we are not allowed to be around it? Here are 5 practical encouragements for navigating this season in no particular order: 1. FACETIME OR ZOOM: FaceTime and Zoom allows for us to view each other’s facial expressions, see into one another’s eyes, and engage with each other more than just hearing one another’s words when speaking by phone. After a couple of weeks of loneliness, I began meeting in a Zoom group weekly. Our church has been hosting weekly Zoom groups and I have gathered with a group of ladies each week for the past few months. This has been a highlight of my week! I get to see their faces, learn how they are doing, share how I am doing, and engage in community. We aren’t physically present with one another, but we can still support each other. Make this time a priority and schedule it, just like you would a coffee date with a friend. 2. TALK ON THE PHONE: While seeing others faces is ideal, speaking on the phone is the next best thing. I have been having phone dates with family and friends. This has been critical to remaining in touch and staying connected. Give yourself a goal of a phone call a day or a few calls a week. 3. EXERCISE: Go for a lengthy walk outside. We need Vitamin D and we need the exercise. Even if you only get your heart rate up a few times a week, this is critical to your mental and physical health. 4. ATTEND A CHURCH SERVICE: Engaging in this kind of community will lift your spirit and remind you that you are not alone. If you’re medically and physically able to attend safely in person, then this is wonderful, but online still fosters an environment for you to engage with others. 5. FEED YOUR THOUGHTS: I really believe in the value of talking to myself. I spend more time talking to myself than listening to myself. Attending church services, reading my bible, and sharing my thoughts with my friends and family challenges my incorrect ways of thinking. Every thought we feed grows. Am I feeding thoughts that build me up or tear me down? Encourage yourself. You should be your best friend and you need to be kind to you. Take time to affirm yourself on a daily basis. You should be able to quickly list at least 10 things you appreciate about yourself and if you can’t, take advantage of this season to get to know yourself better. I make it a goal to encourage myself daily and to encourage others daily. Take the time to text 2-3 people every day to let them know what you appreciate about them. Encouraging others, encourages you. In this season, we have to fight for hope. Hope for health, hope for safety, hope for whatever you are hoping for. It is important to know that hope doesn’t just happen. Hope is grown. I was born and raised in Alaska and I grew up with a huge garden. Each year we planted, tended to the plants, and then harvested them. Planting the seeds was just the beginning of the process. We had to water them and protect them from weeds, the birds, and especially the moose! You don’t plant, walk away, and then never again visit the plant and expect it to be fully grown and healthy. You encourage its growth. The same is true with hope. I have to think hope-filled thoughts on a daily basis. I choose to see the positive in the world around me and I choose to see the good in each person. I plant hope, I water hope, and I protect hope. There are those who will serve as weeds in our lives and try to rob you of your hope. We have to protect our hope. Negativity and pessimism is the path of least resistance. It is easy to get there. Don’t slide down this slope when there is so much to be hoped for! A way to foster hope for humanity is to engage in empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share in the feelings of others. Empathy in this season is more necessary than ever. Empathy asks us to care for those around us. I had COVID-19. One of the most encouraging parts of receiving this diagnosis was how much it revealed my community. I remember receiving an Uber Eats gift card from a friend, while it was unnecessary, it was so appreciated. It made me feel cared for. They were empathizing with my situation. We had multiple people reach out about providing meals, asking if they could help us with our kids, or if there was anything they could do for us. Empathy causes us to have compassion toward others and causes us to respond with what we have that can help meet a need. Perhaps people around you don’t have COVID-19, but I assure you they do have other needs. How different would our community look if we each chose empathy, walked in compassion, and responded to the needs of others? We all have something to give, let’s give it. Christina and her husband, Andrew, pastor Grace City Church. Grace City is a Hillsong Family Church with two campuses in Lakeland and also hosts online services every week at GraceCity.com . Christina is also a full-time Professor and the proud mom of twins, Justice and Adriana. @ChristinaGard

As the Director of Behavioral Health for Lakeland Regional Health, Alice Nuttall oversees the team of physicians, nurses, and qualified mental health professionals for both the inpatient behavioral health service and the outpatient behavioral health clinic. She is an involved member of the Polk County community, serving as the co-chair for the Polk Vision Exploratory Board. Nuttall, a Registered Nurse, has a degree in business as well as neuroscience psychology. Born in Lakeland, she left for college and lived in Nashville, Tennessee for over two decades. She has worked as a nurse and behavioral health professional across many areas including substance abuse, addiction, residential, and more. She was thrilled to be recruited back to her hometown just under two years ago. “This is my life’s passion and greatest joy to be able to do this kind of work and work with the fine individuals I do every day,” said Nuttall. “We always find that there are a lot of mental health opportunities and concerns, but with COVID-19, it has increased the importance, I feel, of the work that we do every single day.” Nuttall can vividly remember the course material of her Health Psychology class as a freshman in college at Vanderbilt University. “It was about the intersection of the human body, our physiological health, with our emotional health, and our mental wellness.” Throughout all of the work she’s done from being a critical care nurse working in the Neuro ICU working with head trauma patients at Vanderbilt, inpatient work, outpatient, with children and adults, she said, “In all of these different roles, the same themes continued to come up. I have a passion and calling for helping people in crisis, and advocating for them when they can’t advocate for themselves. Also, I find myself having a voice on whatever team that I’m on, to make sure we always care for and treat the whole person.” We talked to Alice Nuttall about how nutrition and exercise habits affect the way we feel and applicable ways to make changes for our overall health, mind and body. FOOD = MOOD Can what you eat affect your mental health? “Absolutely,” said Nuttall. “I like to think of it as food is related to your mood. [...] Your brain is working and operating and is a very fine-tuned piece of equipment and it operates 24/7, 365, all the time for your entire life. We need to make sure that we’re thinking about quality, well-balanced nutrition, to help us feel the best that we possibly can.” First, let’s talk about the neurotransmitter, serotonin. According to Nuttall, serotonin regulates mood, happiness, anxiety, and sleep. “Ninety percent of the serotonin that is produced in your body is produced in your GI tract,” she explained. From your mood, feelings, inhibitions, and sleep, “All these things that intertwine to help us feel balanced, are coming from your belly,” said Nuttall. “There is certainly a link.” Eating in a way that promotes good gut health will produce higher levels of serotonin. Adversely, Nuttall says there are hormones that you do not want as much of, like cortisol. “Stress causes cortisol release. Cortisol increases appetite and can cause someone to overeat. High cortisol also increases food cravings for sugary or fatty foods. Stress, therefore, increases cravings for unhealthy foods,” said Nuttall. ALL THINGS IN MODERATION Nuttall doesn’t promote one specific diet or exercise regiment over another. “I think the thing that is most important is balance,” she said. “All things in moderation can be okay. One of the things detrimental to people’s mental health is any extreme.” Bodies are different. “Our needs are different, our ages are different and we all need carbs and healthy sugars to live and to have a good metabolism, but I think you want to have a good balance.” A good rule of thumb is to stick to the outside perimeter of the grocery store as much as possible and keep the refined and processed food in moderation. “By limiting things completely, you start to mess with your mind and you may even crave it more.” During COVID-19, people have started cooking at home now more than ever. Nuttall suggested, “For every recipe you try that may be on the upper end of the pyramid – if you’re trying a new cookie recipe, a cake, or something in that goody category – make sure that two of your other recipes or items that you’re preparing that day are on the healthier spectrum.” For example, during a recent dinner with close friends, Nuttall and her family grilled chicken and opted for a cauliflower option of potato salad and coleslaw with homemade dressing. “I was really impressed with how delicious the meal turned out. It felt like we were eating barbeque chicken with potato salad and coleslaw, but it was so much better because we used good, wholesome ingredients.” DO A MIND FLIP Take a moment and give yourself a score between one and ten for how healthy and nutritious you feel like your diet is – one being extremely unhealthy and ten being perfect balance, getting everything your body needs every day. Now, give yourself a score from one to ten based on exercise. Is your face getting hot with embarrassment or apprehension to score yourself? Are you already maligning your score? Don’t worry, you’re not being diet and exercise shamed – Nuttall uses this method to teach an important mind flip. Our immediate tendency is to think of our score and ask ourselves why it isn’t closer to a ten. “You need to flip your mind and think about it as, why am I not a zero? What am I doing right today, currently, in the moment that has made me a little bit closer to my goal?” Think of everything you do regularly that leads to that score, and make it a goal to do a little bit more of that every week. Trying to force a new habit can be counterintuitive, said the Director of Behavioral Health. “I need to set my goals of doing that one additional day this week. If I have it be incremental and small, that will help me.” This is a form of positive psychology that will set you up for success in reaching your goals. “If you do this mind flip and you perceive your current behavior and current status as the glass half full versus glass half empty – you are already more successful, and you are going to be more successful in those next little incremental goals that you’ve set for yourself,” said Nuttall. If you stretch or do yoga twice a week, try to add an extra day next week. If you walk your neighborhood for 30 minutes each evening, try doing it for 40 minutes next time. “When we talk about goals and making a change, start with something small that you can keep and don’t do too much right away.” Nuttall explained why the approach of incremental changes in favor of a complete habit overhaul tends to work better for people. “If I were to decide, I am going to go extreme and cut out all carbs, all processed food, all caffeine, I’m not going to drink any alcohol, I’m only going to drink water and I’m going to start tomorrow at 8 a.m. I’m going to be more likely to fail because those goals are extreme. Even if I do stick to it for a couple of days, there will be a sense of almost white-knuckling it.” TRACK THE CHANGE, BE MINDFUL Nuttall recommends keeping track of how you feel after what you eat or a small change you’re making, using mindfulness and journaling. This could mean clicking out your thoughts on the notes app of your phone or jotting it down on a legal pad. Between days 14 and 21 is when a habit sets in according to Nuttall. “Habit is when your behavior through routine and repetition becomes incorporated into your daily living. It may be sooner than when the habit is as strong as it could be, you’ll probably start seeing benefits and you may not have changed anything else about your diet.” Maybe your goal is to pack your lunch instead of grabbing fast food, or to consume less soda, drink more water, or to remove sugar from your morning coffee. Do that for a week to ten days and take note of how you feel, she encouraged. “Typically, what we find is if you track that and start to see trends and connections and you use that mindfulness to make connections, that will fuel your next positive change.” SELF-CARE IS SIMPLE Nuttall’s approach to healthcare is holistic. Remember, there is an intersection between mind and body. If Nuttall is trying to help a patient through a stressful time, she will discuss reinforcing healthy habits including balanced nutrition, sleep (not only the hours, but restful, quality sleep), and some form of activity every day. With all that is going on in the world and our lives, it might not be the right time to train for a marathon, but Nuttall said, “If you get out and walk back and forth around your block one time today – those small goals – with that amount of physical activity you start to see health benefits.” Try these same kinds of changes within your nutrition too. Practice mindfulness and deep breathing. You may think meditation and deep breathing aren’t for you or maybe you don’t have time. Small changes. When Nuttall wakes up in the morning and hears her alarm go off, she likes to hit the snooze button. For those ten minutes, before the alarm goes off again, she doesn’t pick up her phone and tries to keep her mind clear of worries and to-do lists. “I try to take ten cleansing deep breaths and focus on something positive, focus on something good. Imagine a happy place – somewhere that brings you joy and peace. What are you looking forward to that day, or what from the day prior was a bright spot – even if it’s very small like a one- or two-word interaction with someone you care about?” Like with the other small habits you’re adopting, track that for a couple of weeks. “It will improve your heart rate, your blood pressure, and your stress hormones. Therefore, it impacts all the other things in a healthy way. You’ll crave less bad foods, you’ll crave good things, and you’ll make better decisions because you’ll be more centered.” GIVE YOURSELF GRACE Maybe you skipped out on exercise yesterday or ate one too many powdered donuts or binged the entire season of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix. Nuttall says to acknowledge that you didn’t make an ideal choice and work to not repeat it in the future. “You don’t want to villainize or beat yourself. This has been one of the hardest things to process and figure out than we’ve ever had before, all at one time,” said Nuttall. “The human body and the human spirit feel more confident and comfortable when we know what to predict when things are more certain around us.” “Especially during COVID times, we all need to give ourselves a little bit of grace,” she said. Give yourself that grace, take a balanced approach moving forward, do a mind flip, make and track incremental changes, and be mindful. Photos by Amy Sexson

Ninety-three-year-old Maria Anaya has much to show for her near-century on Earth. She has eleven children, 39 grandchildren, and thousands of pieces of hand-crocheted artwork. We sat around a table with Maria, her daughters Connie and Alice Anaya, and her granddaughter, 21-year-old Kimberly Padilla surrounded by colorful crochets that were once only spools of yarn until Maria set her hands and mind to them. The family pulled out a small book with aging photographs telling Maria’s life story flipping through images – Maria and her father some 70 years ago, her mother, mother-in-law, and photos of her and her own small children, around 1950, she estimated. Born in Guanajuato, Mexico in 1927, Maria had two brothers and two sisters. Her earlier years were marked by violent ripples following the Cristero War. She remembers hiding with her family in a cave for some three months to escape violence in her town. She remembers fear at the sound of horses galloping near their rocky hideaway, with smaller siblings unaware of the importance of their silence. “They had a little flashlight for when they needed to change diapers or give food to the little ones,” said Connie, relaying her mother’s memories of the rough conditions. Another memory relayed is Maria, age 13. She began watching her cousins crochet and taught herself the craft. “She used to look at things that her cousins would make and try to copy what they were doing because she liked how theirs would turn out,” Kimberly said. “She thought the crochet work was pretty so she wanted to make stuff herself.” First, the border for a skirt, progressing to more detailed pieces like tablecloths, doilies, blankets, and tiny dresses to hang as wall decorations. What products of her labor she didn’t keep, she would give away as gifts to friends and relatives. She would sew her children’s clothes growing up and make them stuffed animals and flowers from a patchwork of fabric. Her many children and grandchildren have baby blankets, sweaters, and stuffed animals from Maria. As she grew up and had a family of her own, Maria spent time raising her children and doing agricultural labor. She picked cotton and worked for a company making bricks. She would travel to Texas and eventually Florida for seasonal jobs before settling with her grown children in Florida in the 1980s, obtaining her citizenship three years ago. She has continued crochet as a hobby throughout her years. Connie and Alice learned from their mother how to crochet, though admittedly not to the same gifted standards. Asked if she has passed this craft down to anyone else, Kimberly answered with a small laugh, “She tried to teach me once, but I didn’t grasp it.” Some pieces are monocolored, spare with an ornate pattern. Others are brilliant and vivid with embroidery, depicting crosses, cats, rabbits, donkeys, birds, or flowers. Her favorite material to use is a yarn with shimmery flecks throughout it. Amid the baby blankets and sweaters, Maria passed down other things. Though Kimberly didn’t grasp the crochet craft, she has learned to cook from her grandmother. Daughter Connie said, “I think one of the best things we learned from her is work, to respect everybody, and to keep going.” Whether she’s working on something small that may take her two days to complete or a more elaborate project like the grand white tablecloth used for her grandson’s wedding, taking her six months to finish – her process is the same. No pattern, no written plan, just counting. Crocheting has become such second nature to her that she can hold conversations as she counts. Kimberly explained, “To make her pattern – it’s kind of like the math is in her head – she knows just how many spaces to count and when she has to make certain stitches for her patterns to come out the right way.” Lynn Oakley has known the Anaya family for 18 years. “She had some health problems and we all agreed we didn’t want to leave her at home alone,” said Oakley of Maria. “So, she came here.” Every day for two years save for the weekends, Maria sits moving her crochet hook with well-practiced hands. “I don’t know how she does it without direction,” said Oakley. “I got to really studying this over the years – how magnificent this is.” Oakley said she is always amazed to see her do such intricate pieces without a plan or guideline. “This is too important for you not to be noticed,” said Oakley. “… because no one does this anymore.” It is important. Whether Maria is aware of just how remarkable the magic she makes is, it is unclear, but that’s okay. It is a quiet skill, a solitary happiness. She has the kind of humble creativity that needs not announce itself or boast. It’s presence and product say all that needs to be said – Here is artwork from the beautiful mind of Maria Anaya. Photo by Amy Sexson

Third-generation Central Floridian, angler, author, and entrepreneur Joe Simonds lives in Winter Haven with his wife, Dr. Loren Simonds, and their three children. Fish, or more the memories made catching them, drove Joe and his brother Luke to start an angler-centric company offering products and real-time tips to their fellow fishermen. These memories go back to fishing with friends in Winter Haven. The Lakewood neighborhood surrounding Lake Otis and Lake Link is where Joe and his brother and friends “cut their teeth,” if you will. “Back then kids could go out without parents and we didn’t wear bike helmets and we went out and picked worms in the garden, threw them on a hook, and caught as many fish as we could,” said Simonds. “We would go from house to house and dock to dock.” Not only had fishing been a cement for childhood friendships, but it also served to unify his own family. The brothers would spend every summer at their grandfather’s condo in Daytona Beach getting a taste for the saltwater side of the hobby. When their grandfather passed away two years ago, weeks before his 94th birthday, Joe said the twelve grown grandkids all had a few beers and exchanged memories about their grandad. “Every single story was about this beach house and fishing and learning how to tie knots on the beach,” he said. “His entire legacy was essentially this little beach house that we all were raised at every summer.” That family unity and connection to the outdoors deepened by their love of the sport was the catalyst for what would become Salt Strong. FULFILLMENT IN FISHING When the brothers were able to drive, they began traveling the state for fishing adventures, even discussing dreams of a future fishing company. They would one day have that company, but as fate often does, the path to it was circumvented a bit. After high school, Joe went the route of a financial advisor before moving into a wholesaling career. At 28 years old, Joe was diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer. He recovered and came out the other side of his battle with the realization that life was too short to be unfulfilled. He quit his job to start his own wholesaling company which his brother eventually joined. Out of the blue in 2014, two gentlemen from Arizona approached the Simonds’ about buying their financial services company. A SALTY START In December of 2014, the Simonds closed the deal, signing a two-year non-compete agreement which meant Salt Strong – which they started the following month – had to work. “Then we did the dumbest thing possible – we started a company with absolutely zero business plan,” he said. Eighteen months went by and not a penny had been made. Their tentative business plan hinged entirely on selling ads to their site which had more than a sizable chunk of traffic for a fishing niche site – 500,000 visitors in one month. A larger potential advertiser fell through. Joe described the feeling as heartbroken, saying he even went back to look into their non-compete agreement, only solidifying that they had to make this work. “That was one of those pivotal moments where we couldn’t go back,” he said. They stepped back and thought about the massive following they had and reasoned, “Let’s just listen to them and figure out what they want. It turned out a lot of them just wanted education.” They found sporting goods stores lacking in the education department. They offered all the equipment and none of the know-how. “It’s not really helpful if you don’t know how to use it. No one’s actually teaching you how to use all the stuff to find the fish,” said Joe. Magazines and television shows, though useful, felt a bit topical to these entrepreneurial anglers. Wonderful articles and brilliant photos, but no ‘reel’ guidance. What started as two brothers and a simple video educationbased service five years has exploded into an 8 full-time employee business offering tips, education, and products with even bigger plans over the horizon. Salt Strong only started offering fishing gear about a year ago, a piece that has proven fundamental to their business and the services they provide. “We sell the lure, and on the back-end, we teach them how to use it and find the fish,” said Joe. One of the most popular items in their full suite of tackle products is their Slam Shady lure. Salt Strong’s niche within the angler community lies in the immediacy of the information they provide. Someone on their team (often Luke) will spend all day on the water fishing and filming, relaying trends in real-time. “By the end of the day, all of our members can see exactly where he was, it’s truly real-time, on-demand, what’s working right now,” said Simonds. “We have at least one new piece of content every day – seven days a week.” A large part of their content is for the public, but Salt Strong reserves the best of the best, including revealing fishing spots, for their members. TACKLE-ING BUSINESS GOALS Together Joe and Luke have caught a snook from a thirdstory balcony in Tampa and even found a Salt Strong theme song, “Fishing in Our Soul.” WPCV 97.5 FM radio host Sara Michaels who went to school with Joe, heard the song (originally by John Gunter) and texted Joe. He got goosebumps his first time listening and put in to buy the rights. They did, reworked the song a bit to reflect their saltwater niche, and had Hunter Smith sing and produce it. They recorded the music video in just two days. “It was the perfect song for what we represent,” said Joe. “Our whole mission is about uniting families through fishing.” With these and many other fond Salt Strong memories behind them, the brothers look to secure their place in the future of fishing in Central Florida. Sooner rather than later, you could enjoy an indoor Salt Strong facility in Winter Haven. They are ever-thankful for the connections they can make online but look forward to uniting people face to face with plans to even offer coaching. “Think of a Bass Pro but with casting ponds inside the place where you can learn how to cast a rod or see what your lure should look like underwater,” Simonds said of the concept. Beyond that, the brothers have sights set on acquiring a 50+ acre property somewhere in Central Florida to create an experience even bigger and more unique around their brand. INSPIRING OUR FUTURE FISHERMEN In step with their mission of family unity through fishing, Joe encourages getting your kids outside. “I don’t expect all of them to love it like we do, but to get them outside and exposed to it.” “At some point, this generation are going to be the politicians, they’re going to be the ones making the decisions, they’re going to be the high-powered attorney who’s making the decision – do we take all this beautiful land and all these estuaries and all this beautiful pristine area and leave it like it is or do we build a parking lot on it?” he said. “If those kids have never experienced those memories with their friends and families – regardless of if they’re fishing or not, just seeing what nature is there – they’re probably going to make the decision to go with the money.” To encourage children and young adult anglers, Salt Strong has devised an incentive membership. Their normal membership is $97 a year which includes 20% off their rods, reels, and all fishing tackle, plus all the invaluable real-time information they pull together. For a parent just making ends meet or the broke college student that wants to get more into the sport, Salt Strong has rolled out the Thirty Under Thirty program. Anglers under 30 years of age can get a membership for $30 a year. “A big part for us is not necessarily just catching fish, it’s how can we make sure that our kids and their kids and their kids have the same experiences and at least the same opportunities that we did to go fishing.” Salt Strong www.saltstrong.com www.youtube.com/user/saltstrong FB & IG @thesaltstrong Photo by Amy Sexson

5 cups frozen pineapple ¾ cup coconut milk ½ cup coconut rum ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk Blend all ingredients until thick and creamy. Pour into glasses and garnish with a cherry. It tastes like the Dole Whip at Disney, only better! Add rum and subtract the crowds, what’s better than that? 21+ Please don’t drink and drive.

In 1974, Jimmy Minadakis converted a former farmhouse turned bingo hall into what would be his legacy restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland. “He came over from Greece with nothing, started working as a busboy in Washington D.C.,” said his middle son, Nik Minadakis. Jimmy saved up money to move to Baltimore where he opened a bar with his brother. After closing their bar Jimmy opened his namesake restaurant that endures 46 years later. Nik moved to Florida ten years ago and opened up the food truck six years ago. His goal was to bring the sumptuous flavors and well-loved reputation of Jimmy’s in Maryland to the Sunshine State in hopes of one day opening a brick and mortar here. Today, Nik’s older brother John and younger brother Tony run the northeast family eatery. Nik carries on the legacy here with his wife Frances and two sons Demetri and Pavlo. Nik’s food truck, Jimmy’s Famous Seafood Express is an homage to their Maryland location. He says that’s worked out well down here not only for the new fans of their food, but the many Marylanders that make the connection, often asking, ‘Jimmy’s! So, which son are you?’ MAKE IT CRABBY “It’s Maryland-style seafood – fresh crab meat, fresh Gulf shrimp – everything is fresh and prepared to order,” said Nik. He uses the same seafood suppliers as their restaurant to maintain that same quality of the product for his food trucks and the Lakeland restaurant he plans to open within the year. “Our most popular dish is by far the crab cake. It’s 6 ounces of all Jumbo Lump Maryland crab – all fresh crab meat.” People also flock to the truck to get their hands on Jimmy’s Kung Pao Shrimp Tacos and Mahi Tacos. Whatever you do – make it crabby! You can add their crab dip to anything on the menu. You can add fries to any meal and make those crabby too, topped with their infamous crab dip, crab meat, Old Bay, and chipotle sauce. Nik described their crab dip as “a Maryland tradition.” They put it on pretzels or dip their homemade onion loaf. People even order extra sides of it to use in their culinary endeavors at home. What can’t be made better by topping it with crab dip? For more of a surf and turf vibe, treat yourself to a Crabby Patty – an 8 oz. hamburger patty smothered in crab dip and topped off with fresh crab meat. Their Grouper sandwich and Crabby Chicken sandwich are popular as well. Jimmy’s Famous Seafood Express travels all over Central Florida, frequenting lunch spots and breweries around Polk County like Brew Hub, Grove Roots, Swan Brewing, Front Page Brewing, and La La Land Liquor & Lounge. Nik is in the process of converting his second Greek food truck into another Jimmy’s Famous Seafood Express to meet the demand for their mouthwatering Maryland-inspired fare. Check their Facebook to see their location schedule! The plan from the start was to open a brick and mortar restaurant in Lakeland mirroring their Maryland concept. “Within the next year we will absolutely have a restaurant,” Nik said. He plans to offer their food truck favorites and add even more to the Lakeland food scene including steamed crabs on the weekends, and a variety of raw, grilled, and baked oysters. The food and digs will be fresh. He wants to cultivate a “laid back and fun” atmosphere. Nik plans to keep the famous food trucks in action too. A COMMUNITY FOCUS “Jimmy’s is not just a restaurant – we do a lot for the community too. That’s how we were raised, it started with my dad and my mom,” he said. “He always taught us to be there for others and to help others if you’re in the position to help.” “You’re not just supporting us for our food, you’re also investing your money back into the community.” During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jimmy’s donated over 3,500 meals to essential and emergency workers. Nik likes to see the reverberations of their positive energy and actions. Bartow Ford took a note from Jimmy’s and donated 800 meals, GEICO donated 1,000 meals, and Mark Lanier with State Farm donated 400, according to Nik. Their Baltimore restaurant employs more than 100 people. During the pandemic, they didn’t have to let anyone go. They opened three food trucks to ensure that all of their staff were able to continue to earn a living. Every year, Jimmy’s Seafood Express supports Toys for Tots and puts together a Thanksgiving meal for the Salvation Army. “We take the food trucks down there and instead of giving them the typical turkey dinner they’re going to get four times for the two weeks of Thanksgiving, we donate a seafood dinner,” he said. Additionally, Jimmy’s started a scholarship in honor of a family member who passed away two years ago. “We started a scholarship in her name, the Maria Nikolaidis Scholarship Fund,” Nik said. They put together a golf tournament, raising over $8,000 for a student to be able to attend All Saints Academy in Maria’s name. This overflowing giving spirit is a mentality the Minadakis brothers share – instilled by their father. Jimmy passed away 17 years ago and Nik said every day they wake up to make him proud. “We have to keep him proud – it’s not make him proud once. We have his name,” he said. Jimmy’s Famous Seafood Express FB & IG @Jimmysflexpress

It has been over six months since faith-based nonprofit, Top Buttons opened a store in downtown Winter Haven. The community excitedly welcomed Top Buttons, both for its mission to “provide confidence-building education and proper fitting attire to young women in need,” according to founder and CEO, Sarah Powers – and for the chance to shop its top-tier thrift selection. “The moment we have the opportunity to share about our mission, the customers perk up and excitedly look for items that they can purchase to support our cause,” said Powers. In the name of shopping local, supporting small businesses, nonprofits and girl power – we thought we would catch up with Top Buttons. We last spoke to Powers last August, as she prepared to open the third Top Buttons location in Winter Haven. A LOOK BACK AT THE HISTORY AND MISSION Top Buttons founder and CEO, Sarah Powers has a deep-rooted passion for helping young people navigate their adolescent years. She acknowledges that as a teenager or young adult, there are so many things out of your control. Fluctuating weight, hormones, skin issues, home, and social lives, all the while on the precipice of adulthood, staring the rest of your life in the face is daunting. “Knowing my own personal struggle is one of the reasons why I’m so passionate about wanting to be an encouragement, a resource, and an educator for teenage girls specifically,” said Powers. Powers has a background in social work, with a degree in Human Services from Southeastern University. She is a writer, a teacher, a speaker, an empowerer of young women, and a mother of four. She’ll never forget the day she was standing in the checkout line of Sam’s Club, ultimately soul searching how she could best utilize her strength of connecting with young people, while not taking time away from her family. Her then 8-year-old daughter picked up a magazine with one of her favorite celebrities on the front. A blurb on the cover mortified Powers. Racey wording that Sarah paraphrased in a much tamer way as, “How to have your best first time.” She returned without her daughter and purchased the magazine. She still has it. It’s a reminder of the messages girls and women are bombarded with at every turn from the fashion and media industries that their bodies are the most important things they have to offer the world. “I feel like we’re doing damage to our girls by sending them these messages that to get attention they have to put themselves out there provocatively,” she said. “That’s part of the inspiration and it fuels my passion for the work that we’re doing.” She wanted to counter these harmful messages with the notion that girls and women deserve a healthy self-image and the understanding that they are more than just their bodies. One thing after another “from the Sam’s Club incident to me praying and seeking the Lord for what he would have me do, to wanting opportunities for my daughters to incorporate a healthy principle in their life in a fun way,” confirmed to Sarah that fashion was going to be, “the tool that we would use to connect and inspire and equip and build up young women.” Powers started Top Buttons in 2012 as a nonprofit, “presenting our positive body image and modesty message at local civic and religious organizations along with creating content for our online resources.” For this first year, she blogged while traveling locally to talk to young women about expressing themselves within the boundaries of contextual modesty. Her blogs and fashionfocused content were well received – the Top Buttons message was spreading. In her local travels to speak, she had girls express to her that they would love to dress appropriately, but they didn’t have the money to buy the proper-fitting or modest attire. “I never want to be someone who is talking at someone, telling them what they should do, without providing them the opportunity to do it.” Powers knew she had to put clothing in their hands. She began bringing clothing with her when she would talk to the girls. In 2015, Top Buttons opened in Dixieland in Lakeland. They weren’t open to the public, just for the girls they served. Now, Top Buttons has three full boutique and designer thrift shops open to the public in downtown Lakeland, Bartow, and Winter Haven. Top Buttons serves around 300 girls a year and works with 18 organizations from around Polk County like PACE Center for Girls, Girls Inc., Heartland for Children, Sheriff’s Youth Villa, and the Department of Corrections First Steps program. The income from the Boutique Program goes back into funding their full-time charitable efforts with the Wearing Confidence Program. This program is for young women between 11 and 25-yearsold that are nominated by a “civic or religious organization targeting young women in need,” according to the Top Buttons website. Throughout the program, the girls receive faith-based educational sessions on topics such as “On the Job Attire,” “Cultural Impact on Clothing Ethics,” “Understanding Contextual Modesty,” and “Positive Body Image.” Paired with these educational sessions are personal styling services, at least one wardrobe makeover with up to $75 of quality, proper fitting attire, new undergarments, bonus vouchers to receive more clothing based on need, a Top Buttons t-shirt, skincare and makeup tutorial, free makeup carefully selected for their skin tone, a photoshoot with images to keep, and ongoing mentorship. Young women enrolled in the Wearing Confidence Program come to the store in large groups for private shopping sessions. Each girl is matched with a personal stylist who helps to style them in the clothes that the girls will then take at no cost. “We can serve them for specific things like job interviews, prom, special occasions or for every day,” she said. The girls not only receive this education when they’re in a styling session but also on a broader scale. Top Buttons hosts “Building up Girls” educational events that are attended by 100-120 girls from the organizations they work with. “We talk to them about life skills, goal setting, effective communication, positive body image, how to dress on the job,” said Powers. One thing she always tells the girls is, “You have so much more to offer the world than your bodies.” Top Buttons is constantly launching initiatives that could fill another need for their girls. A partnership with JOY FM raised money to provide new undergarments for the girls. Powers said that they have seen many girls and women come in with twisty ties used to tighten a poorly fitted bra, wearing their prison bra, or none at all. Something as simple as a brand-new bra, camisole, or pair of underwear is an underappreciated necessity if you’ve always had it, but a luxury if you haven’t. Top Buttons, whether it’s in Lakeland, Bartow or Winter Haven, isn’t about Sarah Powers. It’s about the girls. It’s about the message. “There is a great team of women and men that care very much about young women knowing their value and having the tools and resources – not just teaching, but the physical resources – to reflect who they are as a whole person without compromising their value,” said Powers in thanks to their community of over 60 volunteers. WHAT’S NEW WITH TB Powers opened the third Top Buttons location in downtown Winter Haven last Fall. “We have been very encouraged by all the people who have walked through our doors,” she said of the Winter Haven community. “They seem to embrace the mission and love being able to shop while supporting a cause they believe in! The past six months have not been as strong as we had anticipated, but we believe growth will come as we continue to get the word out.” In addition to their budding Winter Haven store, Top Buttons has started selling online through their @TopButtonsboutique Instagram page, delivering or shipping items that are purchased this way. “We will be selling our top thrift, vintage thrift, and new boutique collection items on the account,” said Powers. “We are also working on providing essential personal hygiene items in baskets packaged with fun board games for our residential organizations like ONE MORE CHILD or Youth Villa. We are working on getting funding to serve all enrolled organizations,” she added. Last we spoke, an affiliate Top Buttons location was planned to open in Nashville. Powers said she is thankful the couple did not sign a lease for a brick and mortar space before the COVID-19 pandemic. “But they are serving young women out of their mobile Top Buttons Boutique and once businesses open again, they look to find a brick and mortar space. They are building their team and volunteer base and building relationships with the organizations in Nashville who need the resources that Top Buttons provides… Things are going well, and we are excited about how the mission is growing in Nashville,” said Powers. TB has had several requests for information on its affiliate program, according to Powers. She said, “We are still in communication with a couple of people who are seriously considering taking that next step to begin the official partnership. We have held off on doing any real marketing for our affiliate program until we can show the success of our Nashville affiliate.” SUPPORT LOCAL – WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER Monetary donations, shopping their stores and donating clothes are all positive ways to support the Top Buttons cause. Due to safety precautions amid the current health crisis, the boutique is not accepting clothing donations. “We know people are cleaning out their closets right now because they’re spending a lot of time at home. We appreciate them keeping us in mind for the clothing donations,” said Powers. “As a nonprofit, our number one need will always be financial. We are thankful that our thrift locations typically provide significant recurring revenue to help cover our operating costs,” she explained. “Our fundraising efforts are very limited right now because our thrift shops are closed, our fundraising event was postponed, and we are just starting our online boutique. However, we know that all nonprofits and for-profits are in the same situation.” Their fundraiser set to take place at Haus 820 in April was postponed, likely to be held in August. Why is it important to shop locally now more than ever? The Top Buttons founder offered her sentiments as a small business owner and a member of the community. “We are all in this together. If we want to see our communities continue to offer small, unique and locally relevant companies we need to support small businesses now more than ever. In a time of world crisis where there is no control over the situation, small businesses are impacted the most. We don’t have an endless supply of cash on hand to go numerous months without being open. But we want to be open and provide products and services that bless our neighborhood, families, friends, and community as a whole. Small business is foundational for all communities. When community members are determined to shop local it encourages creativity, growth, and connectivity in a way that is invaluable.” www.topbuttons.org FB @TopButtons IG @topbuttonsboutique 226 W Central Ave. Winter Haven, FL 33880 863-229-5158 236 N Kentucky Ave. Lakeland, FL 33801 863-220-2464 160A East Summerlin St. Bartow, FL, 33830 Photos by Beth Carter Photography

A snowball with a side of nostalgia, please! Cain’s Snowballs, a Sixth Street shaved ice spot, turned a year old at the beginning of this year. The eatery – or should I say treatery – was opened on January 5, 2019, by husband and wife, Ron and Dean Cain. The Cains, both born and raised in the Sunshine State, grew up in Orlando. Dean moved to the area in 2012, met her husband, and moved him to Lake Alfred with her and their two older pups, Jake and Jessie. “We love the area. It is such a great community,” said Dean. Dean still has a day job in Orlando as a House Manager, and Ron was a truck driver until they started building the budding snowball business. The snowball concept seemed a natural fit for the area which had none at the time. “If you go to New Orleans, there’s 200 of these [shaved ice] shops – one on every corner it seems. You can find them in North Carolina and Georgia, Tennessee – but in Florida, there is only a handful,” said Ron. The Cains opted to create their own brand rather than franchising with an existing company. Though they are in the business of confections, Ron said, “We didn’t want a cookie-cutter type of atmosphere.” From special menu items to the display of the building’s history, or the tables, high tops, benches, and counter they built – everything is unique, everything is a reflection of the Cains’ vision for a rustic, sweet neighborhood snowball stop. THE ANDERSEN CYCLE & KEY SHOP When they found the 6th Street locale for Cain’s Snowballs, they fell in love. It was a neat building in a good location, and the building’s history turned out to be the cherry on top. Al and Ruth Andersen opened Andersen Cycle & Key Shop across from City Hall in the 1940s, according to Dean. “They built this building and relocated in the 50s,” she said. The official opening date of the new building was February 1, 1956. It persisted for three generations, leaving pieces of its history in the form of old photographs, signs, and stories from past bike shop patrons for the Cains to uncover. “We have so many people come in and tell us they bought their first bike from the Andersens. They like to come in and reminisce,” said Dean. Like the Andersen’s bike store, the Cains hope to see their Winter Haven snowball shop go on for three generations with Ron’s son Kyle, and any future grandchildren he has, according to Dean. Dean remembers spotting the old Schwinn sign on the side of the building. “We knew immediately that we wanted to take that sign down and incorporate it inside the building,” she said. As they cleaned and renovated the building, Ron and Dean would find more odds and ends of its history. The front door at Cain’s is original to the building – it too had a story to tell. According to Dean, Mr. Andersen drilled a hole in the corner of the door to run an air hose outside for children to air up their bike tires. “We didn’t even know that that’s what it was for,” said Dean who had an affinity for the old door. “Now to know the history of it – it’s even better.” Other interesting finds from the building’s past include a handwritten note on the wall stating that any bike left over 30 days would be charged 25 cents per week storage, along with old advertisements of a boy with a broken bike and a thought bubble reading, “I think I’ll let Al Andersen – The Bike Man fix it.” The Andersens’ daughter Marilyn brought in photos of the bike shop to share with the Cains. They plan to hang copies of the photos on the walls alongside the now framed ‘Schwinn Bicycle Sales & Service’ sign. Dean remarked, “We kept the bike theme going by hanging an antique 1950s Sky King bike as display and a little retro Schwinn tricycle.” “We enjoy telling people about the history of the shop,” said Ron. A PRETTY ‘COOL’ SNOWBALL SHOP Cain’s Snowballs’ mission is to “serve you the best snowball you will ever taste.” To ensure sensational snowballs, the owners researched various machines on the market. They landed on a Southern Snow Machine, originally designed in 1932 in New Orleans. The machine’s design has changed little since its creation. “It makes the fluffiest, powdery snow that you can get,” said Ron. The Cains use a double filtered water system to make their own blocks of ice for the snow. They make their own syrups, too. Nothing can ignite unfettered childlike joy quite as much as a rainbow-stained tongue and a brain freeze on a muggy Florida afternoon. Along with the signature rainbow snowball in their logo, guests can choose from a range of fruity and special flavors from banana, cherry, grape, and raspberry, to bubble gum, cotton candy, egg custard and Sugar “Cain.” If you knock on the counter twice and spin around while patting your head and rubbing your belly, they’ll even let you in on their secret menu items (just kidding, they’ll tell you sans knocking and spinning). The Squished Frog, consisting of kiwi, strawberry, sweetened condensed milk, and gummy frogs, is a hit with patrons, along with the Lucky Monkey, made with banana, marshmallow, and chocolate syrup. “We also make our own toppings,” said Ron. A guest favorite to top off their snowball is Cane’s pineapple fluff – an airy mixture of pudding, cool whip, and crushed pineapple. If that doesn’t ‘float’ your boat, Cain’s serves up root beer floats with A&W Root Beer and a scoop of French Vanilla ice cream. A root beer float might just be the best thing to wash down their homemade cookie ice cream sandwiches. If you want a little salty with your sweets, Cain’s makes one of the South’s favorite snacks – boiled peanuts. Dean joked, “We stop short of growing the peanuts to boil!” FRIENDSHIPS OVER FLUFF This year, Cain’s started slinging snowballs (not literally, of course) at the Winter Haven Farmers Market. Their mobile cart is also available to cool down weddings, swim meets, birthday parties, and other events. Beyond vintage bike signs, bubble gum snowballs, and pineapple fluff, the Cains say they most enjoy the opportunity to meet people and be a part of the community. “It’s turned into a neighborhood gathering center,” said Ron. “We have families walk their kids down in their little wagons or ride their bikes down or just take a walk from the neighborhood. […] We’ve made a lot of friendships.” Take out from the walk-up window for now, and when the world opens up again, stop in Cain’s for cool delights served by delightfully cool people! Cain’s Snowballs 590 Avenue C SE, Winter Haven (863) 875-8008 https://cainssnowballs.com FB @cainssnowballs IG @cains_snowballs Photos by Amy Sexson

10 large basil leaves 3 strawberries 1 cup lemonade ½ cup vodka ice Put 10 basil leaves and strawberries in a cocktail shaker and muddle. Add the vodka and lemonade. Fill with ice, shake vigorously and strain into a chilled coupe or other small glass. Garnish with basil and lemon. Serves one. 21+ Please drink responsibly.

It would be fair to say Bartow’s newest coffee house started in a Brooksville field – the idea for it did, anyway. CEO and Creative Director of Unfiltered Coffee, Geanie Folder, worked in a nursing home for most of her life. A fierce creative, Geanie always kept a “vintage side hustle” upcycling clothing and furniture with her company Rebel Juju. THE BEATNIK EXCHANGE IS BORN When her last child left home, she left her job at the nursing home and started the Beatnik Exchange. Like many of Geanie’s ideas, the Beatnik Exchange was unapologetic, free-spirited, eclectic and kismet that gathered folks of the artistic and innovative variety. Geanie explained her idea to friend and owner of Vintage Warehouse in Lakeland, Mendy Michalec. Geanie was dreaming of an annual artisan-driven market. The plan was to keep the market one-third farm to table food, one-third artisan, and one-third vintage. Mendy cheered on the idea and said Vintage Warehouse would even sponsor the event, along with Robyn Story Designs. The first-ever Beatnik Exchange took place on Geanie’s Brooksville farm in 2016. And that’s sort of where everything started for the magical Bartow coffee shop. “I kept gathering people – artful people – and we grew from there,” said Geanie. They started gathering artists as they took the market to events like Sun n’ Fun. A few years in, Geanie and her Beatnik Exchange partner and dear friend, Luke Dickerson decided to open Luka Blue Vintage next door to Vintage Warehouse. Coffee was central to Geanie’s vision. “How many deals, and friendships, and sorrows, and celebrations have people had over a cup of coffee?” she said. She met Lisbeth Pacheco and Jolian Rios, the founders of Ethos Coffee Roasters and started serving their fair-trade coffee at Luka Blue Vintage. THIS IS IT After a year, Luke decided to open a real estate company, Luke Blue, LLC and Geanie decided to get back to her fashion roots and nurture that aspect of her creativity for a while. The pair closed their Lakeland location. Looking for a private space to sew in, along with a painting studio for her friend, Linda Cassels-Hofmann, the two met with the landlord that owns the Stuart Building to look at office spaces. They rented an office space and the landlord, whom Geanie described as “such a great friend, such a visionary,” had a space he wanted to show her for a future shop. Earlier that day, she told him, “If I’m going to do this thing, I’m going to do it right – I have to find the right building. When that comes to me, I’ll know it.” The moment they walked through the back door, Geanie turned to Linda and said, “This is it.” “The spirit of Bartow and the spirit in this building drove me from that day to come here and open this place,” she said. “It just chose me.” The 120-year-old building has lived many incarnations, Geanie found out during a trip to the historical society. It was first a hardware store carrying a selection of groceries and dry goods. Next door to Unfiltered is The Wine Stable, originally a livery stable. According to Geanie, folks would leave their horse and buggy next door at the livery stable and come do their shopping. One-sixty South Broadway Avenue has also been a furniture company, grocery store, and auto parts office. Geanie and her landlord collaborated to open and renovate the space. “I say that very lightly because really the building did it, the building told me,” she said. “I stood in one corner and I said ‘Okay, here’s what we’re going to do here…’ and we just kept chronologically moving around the building and it kept happening. […] I know that sounds strange, but it is so true,” she said. “I didn’t set out with this grand plan on paper.” There were a few things she was certain of. “I knew it would be earthy, I knew it would be open. I knew downstairs I would have to keep my hand down on the color palette, but equally, I knew upstairs I could bring every color to the moon.” The Unfiltered creative director knew she wanted to have a bar. “I wanted to model it like a home,” she said. She asked herself, ‘If you came to my home, what would I do? How would I treat you? How would I serve you?’ Well, she would serve you off of one of a kind pottery plates and mugs made by other artists. “Ninety-five percent of what was used in the store came from my personal collection that I procured over the years,” complete with kitchen equipment and silverware courtesy of the Lakeland Yacht Club, according to Geanie. Even the bookshelves for their in-house bookstore, The Unbound Bookery, were made with wood recycled from doors, made by Luke Dickerson. Geanie paused and thought about the space. “It has been a collection of goods, a collection of people, a collection of art.” The food and drink offered at Unfiltered were not an afterthought. Ethos Coffee Roasters out of Lakeland continues to provide the joe and Unfiltered has partnered with Uncle Nick’s Bagels, and Got Candy & More. Some treats are baked in-house – like their gourmet waffles. THE RIGHT STUFF “Every little detail fell in place here,” she said. Like the stained-glass front door she found in St. Pete, created by an artist in 2011 that had never been hung. The tile on the bar is from Miami. She drove there and dug the tile out of someone’s backyard, which had been there for some 40 years. “The whole building, little by little, was built like that.” “The right stuff just shows up,” she said. “Along with the talent we have here.” Like her friend and performing artist, Sandi Silverman who she met at a photoshoot at her Brooksville farm. “Sandi planned and took a year to curate all her books and put a bookstore in [the shop],” said Geanie. The Unbound Bookery is a gem mine of books spanning genres and generations. The interior of the shop has all but a conventional vibe. From the carefully curated pages lining the shelves of The Bookery, to the mismatched furniture, a plush chair on a hanging platform, art abounding, and nooks and crannies ideal for a chat with a friend or a moment to yourself with a piping cup of coffee. The murals were painted by Linda Cassels-Hofmann. Painting for over 40 years in Polk County, Linda is versed in everything from painting, paper hanging, plastering, murals, faux finish, craftsmanship, and is “experienced in all types of the decorative arts, specializing in trompe l’oeil.” In a nook closest to the aqua lava lamp of a stained glass entrance, is a mural by Cassels-Hofmann depicting two stone women with flowers and greenery sprouting from their heads like every blooming idea that grew Unfiltered into what it has become. Other murals depict Edgar Allen Poe, an Alice in Wonderland themed bathroom, and a hippopotamus they call Phil on the back door. CasselsHofmann, with her business, Castles in the Air, will be one of the four resident artists working out of the second-floor studio at Unfiltered. “Castles in the Air means to daydream or imagine,” said Cassels-Hofmann. She has always liked painting whatever people can dream up. A BIT OF BARTOW MAGIC On March 6, 2020, Geanie Folder and her son, the coowner/ COO of Unfiltered, Tray Towels saw a line around the block for the shop’s grand opening. “Bartow is so beautiful. It’s not me, it’s not the people who are here with me like Linda and Sandi, truly, this whole thing surrounds us in Bartow,” she said. The grand opening crowd has been but one of the ways the community has embraced the indie coffee house. After closing their doors in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Geanie racked her brain for ways to keep the burgeoning business afloat. It came to her to do what she knew best – art kits! The morning after posting the art kits online, she woke up to around 45 orders from locals. “Bartow has been so good to us in that way,” said Geanie. “It’s magic.” Humbled by her experience downtown, Geanie added, “In all the entrepreneurial things that I’ve done that have led up to this – and there have been a lot – never have I felt so loved and embraced and loved upon. It’s incredible.” AN ARTIST HAVEN Ascending the stairs of the off-beat coffee shop will be a new experience for Unfiltered patrons as the second floor just finished renovations. “It’s as if you took Pinterest and dropped it in the middle of the floor up there. It’s like an artist’s haven,” said Geanie. Whitewashed brick walls, a rainbow explosion of colors, a claw foot tub for photography, pottery studio, paint studio, and working space for four area artists. “Every inch up there is art,” she said. Among these artists are metalsmith Cassie Bock, mixed media artist Danita Lyn, textile artist, Kimberly Boothe, and painter Linda Cassels-Hofmann. Three other artists sell their art at the shop as well. Upon reopening post-COVID-19, the shop will offer an assortment of classes from Geanie and the resident artists. Geanie eventually wants to host outside artists to come and stay at the studio as well. This second floor of Unfiltered will offer space for birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, and overflow seating for the coffee shop. COFFEE & CONNECTIONS Unfiltered is more philosophy than name. “People are always apologizing. ‘I’m sorry about what I have on today. I’m sorry about my car, I’m sorry about my house, I should have picked up,’” she said. “Why are we spending our lives apologizing for the ways we choose to live?” Geanie aims to empower people to live their life unfiltered – a way of life she has refined. “I’m one of those people, probably to my detriment, I don’t really care what people think,“ she said. “My life has never been too much worrying about what other people think. […] I’ve always had a good peace of mind with that.” Geanie says she would like to see five stores in five years. “I’m just putting that out into the universe and if that’s what’s meant to be, that’s what’s going to happen.” As for Unfiltered Bartow, Geanie Folder will keep forging connections. “I wanted this to be a place of connection. I wanted this to be a safe place where people could come, have a cup of coffee, make art if that’s what they want to do, read a book, get on their computer if they work from home and just connect,” said Geanie. “Connect here with this building, in the same way I connected with it, and with all of us artists, and connect with the community.” Unfiltered Coffee 160 S Broadway Ave, Bartow, FL www.unfilteredbartow.com FB @UnfilteredBartow IG @unfiltered_bartow Photos by Amy Sexson