Newbirth to give away coats
Newbirth Baptist Church, 401 E. Fifth Ave., will host its Share the Warmth Giveaway from 9 a.m. to noon Dec 13. They will hand out coats, hats, gloves and scarves. Participants must be present to receive a coat. Details: (870) 536-3231.
Christian Women plan luncheon
The Christian Women’s Connection will conduct its luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Pine Bluff Country Club. Participants are encouraged to bring Christmas ribbon to make bows and other holiday items.
“Come and join us for a fun-filled time of Christmas activity and enjoy Christmas in song by the husband and wife team, the Wendells. Justin is the pastor at Pursuit Church, White Hall, Ark., and Christina is the praise and worship leader,” according to a news release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The luncheon is $20, which includes the meal, drink, dessert, tax and gratuity. Everyone is invited to attend. Participants are asked to honor their reservations. For reservations and/or cancellations contact Jennifer Keahey at (870) 540-9302.
St. John to hand out food
St. John AME Church, 1117 W. Pullen St., will give away food boxes to people in need Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. until all the food has been distributed.
State ID’s are required to receive one food box per family. Food will be handed out in front of the church on Cherry Street. For safety reasons, recipients are asked to stay in their vehicles and open their trunks, according to a news release.
Sponsors are St. John’s Soul Food for the Mind, Body, and Spirit Feeding Ministry and community partners Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Group Violence Intervention of Pine Bluff and Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.
Supporters may mail financial donations to: St. John AME Church-Feeding Ministry, 1117 W. Pullen St., Pine Bluff, Ark., 71601, or give electronically through Givelify St John AME Pine Bluff. To volunteer, email Pearl Matlock at pearl1948@sbcglobal.net to volunteer.
St. John welcomes the community to its worship service at 9:45 a.m. Sundays followed by Church School. The Rev. Charlene N. Boone is the pastor.
Game and Fish targets feral hogs
Petit Jean River WMA will be closed temporarily to daytime public access for short periods of time during the week of Dec. 8.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services, in cooperation with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, will be conducting aerial operations to facilitate feral hog control efforts. The flights will be dependent on the weather.
The WMA will only be closed to public access for one to two days to allow for the flights.
The plan is to fly Dec. 8-9 if enough hogs are being found to warrant a second day, according to a news release.
Access will not be allowed during ongoing operations to provide public safety. Varying weather and site-specific conditions will not allow for specific closure dates. The closure dates allow some flexibility to take advantage of resources over large contiguous tracts of habitat.
In the event that access to the WMA is restricted, Game and Fish and partnering agency staff will be on-site to maintain road and access closures.
“These aerial control operations are the direct result of coordinated planning between multiple partners,” Ryan Farney, Game and Fish Feral Hog Program coordinator, said. “The AGFC and USDA APHIS appreciate the public’s understanding and patience while these essential activities are underway, and we apologize for any related inconvenience. These targeted efforts are vital to reducing feral hog populations and safeguarding the long-term health and sustainability of our wildlife management areas.”
For additional information, please contact Farney at (501) 912-9541 , or Robert Byrd, Arkansas APHIS director, at (501) 835-2318.
Agency feeds 400 families
Phoenix Youth and Family Services Inc. (PYFS) of Crossett provided 400 families with full Thanksgiving meal boxes Nov. 24-25 during Gratitude Week 2025. The effort helped people in southeast Arkansas.
Distributions took place in Warren, Monticello, Dumas, Eudora, Crossett and Lake Village, according to a news release.
PYFS’ food boxes included turkeys and all the fixins. This marked the second year of the initiative with PYFS’s service to southeast Arkansas.
This year’s effort represented a 167% increase in reach compared to 2024.
“The expansion reflects PYFS’s growing commitment to whole-person, whole-community support, a strategic shift that now includes access initiatives like Gratitude Week,” according to the release.
“PYFS notes that Gratitude Week was not launched in response to recent SNAP challenges, though the strain those challenges created has further revealed the depth of the food insecurity gap in the Arkansas Delta. Community demand continues to outpace available resources, underscoring the need for sustained public attention and investment,” according to the release.
As PYFS marks 30 years of service, the organization continues to broaden its work beyond youth programs and crisis intervention to include comprehensive, human-centered supports — from basic needs access to workforce development to family stability.
“Serving 400 families this year demonstrates both the urgency of need and the strength of our communities,” said CEO Christie Lindsey. “The voices of the people we met — their stories, their courage, their hope — should guide us as we build livable, sustainable communities in S.E. Arkansas.”
Many families who received meal boxes shared how food insecurity affects their households, particularly during the holidays.
These firsthand accounts offer a look at the challenges Delta families face and the impact Gratitude Week has had on their lives.
For details, visit the PYFS Facebook page for video and photos.