FRANKLIN, Ky. (WTVF) – As we try to stay protected from this omicron variant, the concerns aren’t just about physical health. Mental health advocates say the pandemic has led to increased rates of depression. A mother and her son are getting people to talk about mental health in a unique way at another uncertain time.
It is a story that begins and ends with a barbecue sauce.
Of course, around here, people love hot food, with restaurants called 400 Degrees and Slow Burn. In little Franklin, Kentucky, Floena Spencer and her son Shawn Woods know how to deliver hot stuff.
“I’ve met people who say, ‘I don’t have a limit on my spice,'” Woods said. I said ok. I’ll see what my mom and I can do. ‘
They make your barbecue sauce as hot or mild as you like.
“Mrs. Virginia Smith, you eat it out of the jar with a spoon,” laughed Spencer. “Our sauce is called Sauce Spencer.”
A mother and son started this business in salsa after a challenging year. In 2020, Spencer’s uncle died of the new coronavirus.
“It was a very dark time for me,” he said.
She then went through two painful surgeries that meant she was unable to participate in the social justice protests that were so important to her. The isolation from their neighbors, from everyone, during the surgery and COVID-19 became overwhelming.
“I was suffering from depression,” Spencer said. “I wasn’t talking about that. What was too much was when I found out that my son was depressed. That’s what broke me.”
“I left Franklin and went to play college baseball for a while,” Woods said. “It didn’t work out for me. Being that local hero, everyone wanted me to do well. When I got back to Franklin, I felt like I was disappointing the whole town.”
“I never would have known,” Spencer said. “It was at the door of my house. As a father, one does not rest.”
When the pandemic forced people across the country to isolate themselves, new conversations about mental health began. At that time, the CDC said that adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression increased to 41.5%. With cases of omicron now increasing and some people isolating themselves again, there is concern for those experiencing depression.
Spencer has long carried these words.
“A closed mouth does not feed,” he said. “If you feel bad, tell someone.”
Spencer and Woods have decided during this surge that they are using the startup of their business to open up dialogue about depression and emphasize the importance of therapy and counseling.
“The Lord had to shut my mouth and put me in a situation where I couldn’t do anything but listen,” Spencer said.
They emphasize the family connection by naming each sauce after a loved one. The business gives them a new purpose.
“I had to find something in my life that would motivate me beyond going to work paycheck to paycheck,” Woods said.
In a story that begins and ends with a barbecue sauce, this mother and son couple are ready to give people what they want, but they are also here to talk about what they need.
“You just have to be there for your neighbor,” Woods said.
