2025 Regular Session - Day 26 - Citation, Rep. Mitchum Whitaker

Mr Speaker uh although my district has suffered tremendous loss and heartbreak in the 2022 and 2025 flood we've also seen some of the best of humanity and our neighbors a thousand citations wouldn't be enough to recognize all the people and in organizations that have helped our area during these floods but I wanted to recognize one group that offered a rather unique service to my hometown I have with me here today uh Valerie horn um if you would stand up Valerie uh Valerie is the founder of community agricultural nutritional Enterprises also known as Kane Kane was established to provide new markets and increase the agricultural footprint of leer County but they've done so much more since that uh long before FEMA or any government representative landed in lecher County Caine was making a difference at a grassroot level in fact they began serving meals the very same day as the flood before the water even crested in fact they uh have served in total over 100,000 meals post flood and that's even more impressive when you consider that lecher county has a population of about 20,000 1/4 that number so that's four meals for every man woman and child in leer County they also served as a host for the Whitesburg Farmers Market when the market grounds were destroyed uh helping distribute over $25,000 in fresh produce that the farmers would have missed out on otherwise and I could literally go on and on and on but we've had a long day here so I won't do that but they've done tremendous work they shared more than just food with their neighbors they shared a kitchen table for people who didn't have a kitchen table left after the flood they provided the physical and emotional needs that our County needed and for that I'm proud that as a commonwealth we can recognize them today so Mr Speaker I move adoption of legislative citation number 71 and I ask that this body join me in applauding my friend Valerie horn and Community agricultural nutritional entprise