AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A local nonprofit is using yarn and crochet hooks to provide comfort for women recovering from mastectomies.

Aditi Mohan, a student at the Medical College of Georgia, founded the Augusta chapter of Knitted Knockers in 2023.

“So Knitted Knockers is basically an organization that connects knitters and crocheters to women who have had mastectomies,” Mohan said. “So we basically provide these knitted knockers, and you can place it in your bra after you’ve had a mastectomy.”

Mohan said the knockers help women after their procedures.

“It really, I think, helps provide a lot of comfort, dignity, and it really helps with self-esteem after like such a hard procedure and also going through like cancer can be a really difficult time for women and I feel like Knitted Knockers is something that really helps like bridge that gap and also helps you feel a lot more connected to other women,” Mohan said.

Mohan donates the knockers to the Georgia Cancer Center and a hospital near Atlanta. Last week, her group donated 52 more, pushing its total past 380.

Three Crows Fiber, located downtown, serves as a drop-off site and stocks supplies needed to make a knocker.

“We sold out of kits within a week this year and that warmed my heart, but we have all the supplies you need to make the knocker,” Pauline Wickens, an employee at Three Crows Fiber, said. “We have the yarn, needles, stitch markers, patterns printed so you don’t have to go online to get them.”

This month, Wickens is hosting Friday “knit and crochet alongs,” inviting people to learn how to make a knocker.

“Knowing that at some point in my future that I may need help in some way and that there will people like minded people like myself who want to help,” Wickens said. “It’s a good feeling.”

Mohan said making the knockers benefits volunteers as well as recipients.

“I think that there really is a double benefit… you get a benefit from making the knockers as well,” Mohan said. “I feel like knowing that what you’re crocheting is actually going to someone who needs it, can have a really good impact on your well-being as well.”

Three Crows Fiber downtown hosts knit-alongs every Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. this month, where people can learn how to make a knocker. People can also support Knitted Knockers Augusta by donating.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Salvation Army of Augusta is teaming up with Centro Cristiano OasisVIP and Oasis Radio 97.3 FM for a food drive through the month of September.

The drive comes as the Center of Hope has experienced a 41% increase in free Soup Kitchen meals served to members of the community.

Officials say the Center of Hope soup kitchen now prepares about 150 dinners every night for community members and shelter residents

Through September, the public is asked to donate canned beans, canned vegetables, pasta, rice and other shelf-stable items.

You can drop off donations during services at Centro Cristiano OasisVIP on Deans Bridge Road or during regular hours at The Salvation Army Center of Hope, the Kroc Center and all Augusta-area Salvation Army Family Stores.

“When we see a need in our community, our faith calls us to respond with compassion and action,” said Pastor Angel Maestre of Centro Cristiano OasisVIP. “Through this partnership, our church, our listeners and the entire community can come together to help ensure our neighbors have a warm meal when they need it most.”

If you prefer to shop online, go to SalvationArmyAugusta.org to find the Center of Hope Amazon wishlist and ship items directly to the shelter.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta-Richmond County Board of Commissioners published the current year’s tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years, pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 48-5-32.

The gross digest for 2026 is $10,009,825,182. Less exemptions of $1,314,812,084 bring the net digest value to $8,695,013,098.

The gross digest includes real and personal property valued at $9,957,723,959, motor vehicles at $29,225,390, mobile homes at $22,298,931, timber at 100% valued at $287,185, and heavy duty equipment at $289,717.

In 2025, the gross digest was $9,489,456,927, with exemptions of $1,070,488,841, for a net digest value of $8,418,968,086.

The gross maintenance and operation millage rate for 2026 is 11.9410, with a rollback from the local option sales tax of 5.7480, for a net M&O millage rate of 6.1930.

In 2025, the gross maintenance and operation millage rate was 11.8720, with a rollback of 5.5950, for a net M&O millage rate of 6.2770.

Total M&O taxes levied for 2026 are $53,848,216, a net tax increase of $1,002,353, or 1.90%, over 2025.

Total M&O taxes levied for 2025 were $52,845,863, a net tax increase of $392,106, or 0.75%, over 2024.

The Augusta-Richmond County Board of Commissioners are expected to hold a meeting to set the millage rate on Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. at the Lee N. Beard Commission Chamber, Municipal Building, 535 Telfair Street, Augusta, Georgia.