Candidate Nicole Galloway | 'Ladybird, Collected'

By Steve Kraske,

Published October 5, 2020 at 5:07 PM CDT

Meg Heriford puts free bagged lunches outside of the Ladybird Diner in downtown Lawrence. From the middle of March to the end of July, the diner served over 13,000 free lunches and gave out hundreds of grocery boxes to community members in need.

The Democratic candidate lays out her plan for Missouri and how a Lawrence diner evolved from serving customers to serving those in need during the pandemic.

Segment 1, beginning at 3:48: Gov. Parson's Democratic challenger says she has a better plan for running Missouri — including fighting the pandemic.

If she becomes the governor of Missouri, State Auditor Nicole Galloway says she would issue a statewide mask mandate, increase rapid testing and initiate a rigorous statewide contact tracing program. Galloway called out Governor Mike Parson for a lack of leadership.

Nicole Galloway, Missouri State Auditor and Democratic candidate for Missouri governor

Segment 2, beginning at 34:52: "Ladybird, Collected" is the story of how a tiny diner in Lawrence changed during the pandemic.

Feeding those in need has always been a part of Ladybird Diner's business plan. But because of the pandemic, owner Meg Heriford has now converted to a community kitchen full-time. Heriford is hoping sales of her book of essays called "Ladybird, Collected" will allow the diner's mission to continue.

Meg Heriford, owner of Ladybird Diner and author of "Ladybird, Collected"