🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:
• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 💪 Wellness Tip: The Link Between Stress, Sleep, and Physical Health
• 📍 Cary Spotlight Connect: The Mama Edna Project (Revisited)
• 😄 Meme of the Day – Just for laughs
• ❤️ Communities need strong connections: Show Your Support
• 📅 Events: Upcoming Events (Top Picks)
👉 Browse the highlights. Click your favorites.
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Question: What heart condition that's often brought on by stressful situations and extreme emotions?
(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)
CARY SPOTLIGHT: HEALTH & WELLNESS EDITION
These articles are for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle.
The Link Between Stress, Sleep, and Physical Health
“Enjoyed working with Estelle to get better vitamins. After a week, my husband said he could actually feel the difference. He had been taking about 6 different drug store brand vitamins for years, before trying what Estelle recommended; no more wasting money.”
- Christine Walorz
Stress and sleep are closely connected and influence nearly every system in the body. Ongoing stress can disrupt sleep, and poor sleep can make stress harder to manage. This cycle affects energy, focus, mood, and physical comfort.
Supporting this connection does not require drastic changes. Small daily practices that calm the nervous system can improve sleep quality and support recovery. What happens during the day matters just as much as bedtime routines.
Actionable Tips
Maintain consistent sleep and wake times
Create a calming wind down routine
Limit screen use close to bedtime
Use short daytime resets like breathing or gentle movement
Try This This Week
Create a five minute wind down routine before bed using low lights, gentle stretching, or slow breathing.
Wellness Takeaway
Managing stress during the day plays a major role in sleep quality.
👉 Want a personalized plan to simplify your vitamin and supplement routine so you can confidently create a foundation of lifelong wellness?
Book your free wellness chat with Dr. Estelle and map out the simple shifts that will make the biggest difference for you.
How do you usually manage stress during the day?
The Mama Edna Project (Revisited)
Summary
In this inspiring episode of Cary Spotlight Connect, host Dr. Chris Coetzer sits down with Cary local Drew Klutz, who recently left a 42-year career in retail to launch a nonprofit with heart: The Mama Edna Project. Named in honor of his late mother-in-law—known for her generosity—the project runs a men’s-focused thrift shop where vintage finds, kitchen goods, furniture, and more are sold to help fight hunger in the Triangle.
If you’ve got gently used goods—or just want to shop with a purpose—this episode will show how your home items can help stock community fridges, support school food programs, and build a more food-secure Cary.
Keywords: Cary Spotlight, nonprofit, community service, thrift shop, food security, Cary North Carolina, Mama Edna Project, charity, partnerships, local impact, donations
📢 Quotable Moments
“We’re not a food pantry. We’re more like a cash flow for other food pantries and food assistance programs in the community.”
“Every sale goes to feeding somebody in the community. So once we clear our rent for the month, everything else goes into feeding the mission.”
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
The mission behind the Mama Edna Project and how it honors one woman’s legacy of giving
How the thrift shop model is helping fund local hunger relief efforts
Why Drew focuses on men’s clothing, furniture, tools, and small home appliances
The powerful network of nonprofit partnerships they’ve built—and how you’re part of the solution
How YOU can donate, shop, or spread the word during Earth Month and beyond
Got gently used furniture, tools, or kitchen gadgets? Instead of tossing them out, donate them to the Mama Edna Project and turn your pre-loved goods into meals for neighbors in need. Want to shop instead? Every purchase supports local hunger relief programs.
Mama Edna’s Thrift Shop
📍 1393 Maynard Rd SE Cary, NC 27511 | ☎ 919- 649-0678
🌐 The Mama Edna Project | Facebook Page
We’d love to hear from you! Let us know how aware you are of the Mama Edna Project, a Cary-based nonprofit thrift shop that funds food security programs across the Triangle:
The Mama Edna Project
Meme of the Day.
Brought to you by Cary's Daily Newsletter.
What’s faster than word of mouth? Cary Spotlight! Keeps you updated on what is going on locally and connects businesses to our vibrant community.
Just In Case You Missed This…
Hey Cary!
We’re planning future free, online workshops for the Cary community and we’d love your input.
We just launched a short Cary Spotlight Online Workshop Interest Survey to learn which topics you’d actually want to attend and what times work best for you. It takes about 1 minute to complete.
As a thank-you, for every subscriber who completes the survey, we’ll donate $1 (in kind) to Mama Edna's Thrift Shop by The Mama Edna Project — a local 501(c)(3) supporting food security and cancer-support programs right here in Cary.
⏰ Survey closes Wednesday (Today) at 9:00 PM
Your voice helps shape what we bring to Cary next, and helps a great local cause at the same time. Thank you for being part of the community.
❤️ Communities need strong connections.
Your support helps us shine a light on Cary’s wellness leaders, wellness tips, and health alerts that keep our town thriving. Join readers who’ve already donated.
🎟️ Upcoming Events (Top Picks)
Outdoor events may be changed due to weather, so click the links to see latest event information. Here are a few ideas for the week, so plan ahead:
• Wednesday: Winter Bird Adventure 2PM-3PM
• Wednesday: Speed Puzzling in the Park 6PM-8:30PM
• Thursday: Zumba 6PM-7PM
• Thursday: Handmade Valentine's Day Card Making 6:30PM-8:30PM
• Friday: 23rd Annual Rotary Club TowneBank Chili Dinner
Lunch 12:00–2:00 PM | Dinner 5:00–7:30 PM
• Friday: Dungeons & Dragons in the Park 6PM-10PM
• Friday: Marvelous Music Series Town of Cary presents Nefesh 7:30PM-9PM
But wait! There’s more. To save space in your inbox, we’ve moved the full list of events online — now you can plan ahead: See Full 2-Week Calendar
The Answer to the Cary Spotlight Hook Trivia Question 👇👇👇
A: Broken heart syndrome
Broken heart syndrome (stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy) is a temporary heart condition often triggered by intense emotional or physical stress, such as grief, fear, extreme anger, or sudden illness. It causes rapid, reversible weakness of the heart muscle, with symptoms mimicking a heart attack—including chest pain and shortness of breath—but typically without blocked arteries.
Mechanism: A surge in stress hormones causes temporary, reversible weakness of the heart muscle.
Diagnosis: Ruled out from a heart attack via angiogram; usually shows characteristic "apical ballooning" (the heart takes on a shape like a Japanese octopus trap).
Learn more about Broken heart syndrome