Jackson Free Press

Campbell's Craft Donuts, a branch of Campbell's Bakery located at the currently in-development Belhaven Town Center, closed its doors on Sunday, Feb. 14, due to lack of business and other complications from the COVID-19 pandemic. Mitchell Moore, the owner of Campbell's, started a GoFundMe campaign on Saturday, Feb. 13, to raise funds to keep Campbell's Bakery open in the face of ongoing expenses from the closure and the pandemic. The campaign seeks to raise $50,000, and has raised $25,000 as of this writing.

Moore wrote the following verbatim statement regarding the closure and the fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe page:

"Covid Sucks.

I remember when we shut down in March of last year telling my amazing wife "I don't think we can survive this." Back then we didn't know how long the shut down would take or what would happen, but now we do. I have closed TWO restaurants in the past two months. All because of COVID.

Opening a restaurant is expensive, but CLOSING a restaurant is equally expensive. The hole we got in because of the shut down we imagined would be filled with programs such as the EIDL (we were denied) or several grants (we didn't get them) or even the PPP (we got less than 20% of what was needed to pay our bills) but it wasn't. It just kept getting deeper, and at a certain point we had to stop digging. But that still leaves us in a hole and the only shovel we have is Campbell's Bakery.

We would love to ask people to support the bakery so it doesn't close as well, and we are asking that! But there is a ceiling that we can't break through with bakery sales alone until we get through this pandemic and can hire, train, and increase our production. That isn't going to happen overnight.

I consider myself a business owner, and asking for this kind of help goes against my nature. If I am here asking, I am at the end of my rope.

I have always believed we are in this world together, and that serving people is the best way to live. It's why I started the If You're Buying We're Selling campaign with fellow business owners and friends. It's why we strive to serve people each day (at) the bakery. It's how I live my life and I am hoping that there are others out there who try to do the same.

When we closed Campbell's Craft Donuts it surprised SO MANY people and they all said variations of "if we had known how bad it was" or "I hate we couldn't help more." This is me then letting others know how dire the situation is for Campbell'sBakery. If it is left to pay the debt load back for the closing of the other two restaurants it may not make it, and we need help.

Thank you for reading this. It helps just to say it."

To donate to the Campbell's GoFundMe campaign, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-historic-campbells-bakery. For more information, call 601-362-4628 or visit campbellsbakery.ms.

Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade to be Virtual for 2021

The organizers of Jackson's annual Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade recently released a joint statement with the City of Jackson, Visit Jackson, Downtown Jackson Partners and the University of Mississippi Medical Center announcing the cancellation of the parade as an in-person event for 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Following discussion with the City, event sponsors and stakeholders of the parade and the Mississippi State Department of Health, Malcolm White, the founder and chief organizer of the parade, instead decided to work toward producing a live virtual parade, which will air on March 27.

“We have determined that the St. Paddy’s parade cannot be safely produced in its traditional format, given the COVID-19 virus is still very much a health threat, and vaccination efforts are still in their early stages,” White said in a press release. “We must put the health of parade participants and the general public at the forefront of any decision, and we have done just that.”

The St. Paddy’s Parade is a fundraising event that benefits the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The virtual event will allow the group to raise money for the hospital in 2021 through sponsorships and donations for the live virtual event, a release from Visit Jackson says.

Event organizers will release further details on the 2021 virtual Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade over the following weeks. For more information, visit halsstpaddysparade.com.

The Fresh Market Releases Seafood Specials for Lent

In preparation for Lent on Wednesday, Feb. 17, The Fresh Market has announced several new seafood specials. The Fresh Market is offering more than 15 varieties of fish, including sea bass, grouper, swordfish, tuna and halibut.

On Thursdays, The Fresh Market will sell tilapia parmesan and pecan crusted trout for $5 each. The store will also have whole Atlantic salmon fillets for $5.00 per pound on Ash Wednesday and each Friday in March. Customers can also purchase wild American shrimp for $5.99 per pound on the same days.

The Fresh Market is also offering "Little Big Meals'' for groups of four, with a different meal available each week. From March 24 to March 30, the Little Big Meal will be a Lent-friendly fish and chips meal for $25. The meal includes four cuts of parmesan cod, one bag of Alexia fries, one pound of coleslaw or pepper vinegar slaw, a 22-ounce mixed melon cup and a 9-inch half pie for dessert.

Other Lent dishes on offer include bourbon salmon fillets, crab mac and cheese, shrimp cakes and ultimate lump crab cakes.

For more information, visit thefreshmarket.com.