Looking at Sara Cass, you may struggle believing that she very recently cut at least 8" cut off of her hair. However, the first and second grade teacher at Danbury Catholic School just did that, donating her hair to Children with Hair Loss. The organization turns hair donations into wigs which children suffering from illness such as cancer treatments may receive.
    "There's no purpose in me having that much hair, and if I can help a kid feel beautiful with my hair, I'm going to do that," stated Cass.
    Sara actually first considered donating her hair when she herself was in school in 2008. Kyle Sexton (I found the year but will need to research grades - my server doesn't like me sitting on my bed and working so will fill in when I'm on my recliner).
    "I didn't even know it (donating hair) was a thing until I saw his article in the paper (Danbury Review), and I thought, ‘Gosh, how amazing would it be to do that," Sara added.
    And was the donation amazing when it was done?
    "It was a good feeling," she said. "I went to the post office in Castana where Jill Sadler works and said, ‘Here, I am mailing my hair.!"
    Sara added that she has wanted to donate since 2008, but her hair never grew out until she had children of her own. She and her husband, Tim have two kids, 3-year old Wrenley and 7-month old Wesley. The family lives in Castana.
    When the time came for the donation, Sara went to Billie Krusen who obliged. Not only did the cut become a future relief for someone needing some couture help, but it also gave Sara a lift.
    "A weight was lifted off me," she exclaimed.
    According to their website, Children With Hair Loss is a non-profit organization that provides human hair replacements at no cost to children and young adults facing medically-related hair loss. When a child's hair is lost due to Cancer treatments, Alopecia, Trichotillomania, Burns, etc., the painful effects are far deeper than just cosmetic. Each year, the number of children requesting our hair replacements increases and, with support, we can continue to increase the number of children we are able to help in the future! If you are interested in donating your hair to Children With Hair Loss, go to https://childrenwithhairloss.org/hair-donation/.

    DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that 125 Iowa public and private schools will receive funding through the Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools Program to purchase Iowa grown and raised food. Each participating school will receive approximately $1,600, which will be matched at least one-to-one by the school to double the impact and generate additional purchases of local food. The program funding allocated by the Iowa Legislature was evenly distributed among schools so that every eligible school that applied for the program received funding. Among these schools are Danbury Catholic Elementary School and MVAOCOU School.
    "Choose Iowa is all about connecting more Iowans with the great food, beverages and agricultural products produced right here in our state. Now in its second year, we continue to see strong demand for the Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools program, demonstrating the desire to serve more fresh, healthy and nutritious Iowa foods to students," said Secretary Naig. "I'm going to continue asking the Iowa Legislature for additional funding to grow the program so even more students can benefit from it."
    The Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools Program, now in its first year with permanent funding, provides $200,000 to help participating schools purchase eligible Iowa food products through seven Iowa food hubs. The required one-to-one school match will leverage at least an additional $200,000 in local purchases, generating at least $400,000 in total purchasing power for Iowa grown and raised food.
    The permanent program was authorized through the bipartisan 2026 Iowa Farm Act, which was introduced and championed by Secretary Naig. It builds on the successful Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program for Schools launched in 2025. During the pilot, 61 schools or school districts applied for funding, requesting more than twice the $70,000 available. Ultimately, 33 schools or school districts received funding to purchase Iowa food for their students.
    The Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools Program helps build relationships among Iowa farmers, food businesses, food hubs and schools while creating demand for Iowa agricultural products. It complements the permanent Choose Iowa Farms to Food Banks Program, which similarly connects Iowa farmers and food businesses with food banks and emergency feeding organizations.
    Choose Iowa is the state's signature branding and marketing program for Iowa grown, Iowa raised and Iowa made food, beverages and agricultural products. Initiated by Secretary Naig and administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Choose Iowa continues to build momentum with nearly 360 members statewide. Choose Iowa is creating new market opportunities for Iowa farmers and small businesses while making it easier for consumers to find and purchase Iowa products.

    St. Mary's in Mapleton will host their annual turkey supper, catered by Staley's, on Sunday, October 18th from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m. Cost is $15 per meal. The event will feature only carry-outs and intown delivery.
    To pick up carry out - the line will form on the west side of Heisler Street by the church.
    For delivery (in Mapleton only), call 882-1780.
    Tickets to enjoy the feast are available at the banks in Mapleton and in Danbury and at Hometown Variety in Mapleton. Tickets will also be available to purchase at the church that day.
    Please plan to join them for a delicious turkey supper.

    Instead of students and select adults occupying Danbury Catholic School on Saturday, October 3rd, adults with a smattering of kids spent the day learning how to turn thousands of apples into hundreds of apple pies. Beginning before the sun rose, members of St. Mary's Parish along with help from others peeled hundreds and hundreds of apples and combined the peeled, sliced apples with apple mix to give the pies that perfect harvest flavor. They were then placed in hundreds and hundreds of pie crusts, placed in hundreds and hundreds of packages, and distributed to hundreds of patrons during the apple pie bake.
    According to Rosary Society President Carol Weber, 630 pies were made and 90 packages of crusts were sold. Weber is appreciative of all who supported this project by purchasing pies and, especially by helping make the pies.
    If you have not picked up your pies yet, please call the rectory and make arrangements with Janelle to pick them up. If it needs to be after 5:00 p.m. call Carol Weber at 712-880-5000.
    To the left, Louise Coyle, Sherry Wessling, and Dennis Boyle prepare the mix for the apples to join.
    Photo by William Dirksen. Thanks, William!