Art of Healing

Every year, locals gather at Sanderson Farms in Laurel for South Regional Medical Center's Art of Healing event. However, the annual art exhibit is more than a night of music and fun. For some it is is an opportunity to showcase their talents. For Laurel native, Jim Provost, art is also an aid to recovery.

The proceeds from ticket and art sales helps pay for health screenings in the community. While healthcare is expensive, it is important. So the SCRMC Foundation works to provide free health screenings and health fairs to educate and reach out to the community. 

Event director Becky Collins said, "Health care is so important, but it's also a financial burden for some...so we are here to let them know that we want them to take that preventative step even when they don't feel like it's affordable."

Provost embodies the Art of Healing spirit in that his craft, building knives, helps him overcome obstacles from having fibromuscular dysplasia. He was the keynote speaker of the evening. Over three-hundred attended the event. 

For more information visit scrmc.com.

  

  

Tips for eating healthy

Anyone living in the Hub City knows the appeal of the rows of flashing fast food signs that pass by on the way home from work. This is the time of day when I'm most hungry and tired and wheeling through the drive through seems much easier than going home to cook. However, according to CDC, unhealthy food choices could lead to diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. 

Dietician Virginia Smith says that small changes can add up to big rewards. Instead of deep frying white potatoes, Smith suggests baking sweet potatoes for a side. Simple substitutes in baking is an easy way to cut calories. Greek yogurt or unsweetened apple sauce can stand in for butter. 

Local farmer's markets provide fresh food options this time of year. Check out your local market for fresh fruits and vegetables for side dishes.

Webservations

Date night in just got a whole lot easier. Hattiesburg resident Mikal Dickerson partnered with Extra Table to bring local favorites to your door. The days of ordering take out over the phone are gone. Hattiesburg residents no longer have to struggle to get their order right when the person on the other end cannot understand them. Now all that is standing between you and dinner is one simple click. 

The website started when Dickerson was planning how to use a website to help local charity Extra Table. Then it hit him one night. Why not make a website to conveniently supply Hattiesburg's residents with dinner, while also helping those in need? For every order placed on Eat Hattie, $1 goes to Extra Table. This money will go toward buying healthy food in bulk to supply local soup kitchens with the necessities to cook healthy meals.

Hattiesburg residents taking part in the initiative have yet to be announced. The website is slated to launch late spring or early summer.