Free hiker breakfast in Franklin
Appalachian Trail hikers can get a free breakfast in Franklin through April 11. First Baptist Church in Franklin has offered this four-week period of “trail magic” for eight years, last year feeding 595 hikers from 44 states and seven countries.
In addition to breakfast, hikers can have their picture taken at the church and mailed to a friend or loved one, along with a note from the hiker. Meals are served from 7 to 8 a.m. daily with a free shuttle picking hikers up from the Budget and Sapphire inns.
Sponsor a hiker, fight local hunger
Fight hunger in Jackson County by sponsoring Andrew Smith’s Appalachian Trail hike this year, which he hopes to finish just in time for his 65th birthday.
Smith, a.k.a. Racewalker, will start his trail journey at Springer Mountain, Ga., in April and hopes to reach Mt. Katahdin in Maine by his September birthday. Smith has pledged $1 to The Community Table, a soup kitchen in Sylva, for each mile of the 2,180-mile trail he completes and challenges others to make their own pledges. Sponsoring Smith at a penny per mile costs just $21.80, a dime brings it up to $218 and a dollar per mile garners $2,180 to fight hunger in Jackson County.
Contact Community Table Director Amy Sims with pledges at 828.586.6782 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Smith’s progress at www.trailjournals.com/racewalker.
