Port St. Joe shares in community feast
Six years ago, following Hurricane Michael, the Rouse family prepared a meal for friends and family that would bring together the North Port St. Joe community ravaged by the devastating storm.
This past Sunday afternoon, at the Washington High School gym, upwards of 200 people came together once again for what has become an annual event, organized by Koran Rouse in memory of his younger brother Johnnathan Rouse.
“When the storm happened, everyone needed somewhere to go for Thanksgiving,” said Meredith Rouse, Koran’s mom.
She said some of the food this year was prepared at the gym, some at people’s homes, and there was plenty to partake in, from turkey to stuffing, to green beans and collard greens, to mashed potatoes, and loads of desserts.
There were also plenty of willing volunteers from both Franklin and Gulf County, including Blue Diamond, Sylinda Goodman, Connie McGee, Myesha Clay, Tayna Williamson, Anthony Skanes, Fred Owens, David Jones, and Ernest McKeever, who came over from Covenant House to lend a hand.
Each year Koran Rouse honors a half-dozen people for their work in keeping the event alive and this year was no exception.
Just as the feast of Thanksgiving was exceptional.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.