MS Illuminated

Call to Action

CTA action description

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2020 has been a year of challenge. The world has been forced to reflect on our values, beliefs, and practices. Mississippians have taken this time as an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to supporting each other.

Volunteers have come from far and wide, despite great personal risk, to ensure that those in need have what they need to be safe.

Nonprofits have worked tirelessly to ensure their services continue to be available, despite having to shift their operations.

Philanthropies have distributed millions of dollars to organizations to ensure they can continue working tirelessly to support their local communities, despite having to modify structures and pull from reserve funds.

Leaders have instituted new policies and shifted budgets to ensure all citizens are safe and their well-being is protected, despite political and economic risks.
Mississippi’s collective action has kept the darkest storms from hitting and planted seeds for future prosperity. These acts need to be illuminated! When the narrative of 2020 is written, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that it accounts for the seeds of hope.

The Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy and Volunteer Mississippi are best situated to aggregate and disseminate these stories. Often, when narratives about MS are written they lean on negative indicators. The Alliance’s mission and strategic partnerships make us the most appropriate institution in the state to ensure that the 2020 narrative is captured fully.

Central MS
The Good Samaritan Center

We received 248 cases of refrigerated milk from a delivery that was refused. We were able to gather seven different organizations together to make sure that milk got to folks that needed it.

Delta Hub
Extra Table

Feeding the hungry in Washington County is serious business! Just look at the faces of our volunteers with Extra Table and the Delta Volunteer Hub, a partnership with Volunteer Mississippi here at the Community Foundation of Washington County! With the incredible volunteer support from Joe Nash, Patrick Lane and Mac Hamilton (Lea Margaret McLaurin Hamilton), another MASSIVE load of food was delivered to St. Vincent de Paul and Hearty Helpings Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen here in Washington County to help these organizations in their service to those in greatest need!

Gulf Coast Hub
Extend a Hand Help a Friend

Jeffrey Hulum III is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Extend a Hand Help a Friend Non Profit Organization. Extend a Hand Help a Friend was founded to meet the needs of the youth, the elderly, and the homeless. Over the past three weeks, Jeffrey, organized a feeding program for what started out for children while they were out of school due to the current health crisis that turned to providing meals to our seniors along the Gulf Coast from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi and as far north as Saucier. With the leadership of Jeffrey, 6,000 meals were prepared over the three week time span averaging 400 meals today. After, this program concluded, Jeffrey has begun volunteering with St. Peter’s By-the-Sea in helping to prepare and serve sack lunches to children in the Gaston Point Community. Jeffrey is truly a servant leader who is living out his passion.

Northeast Hub: Pontotoc City School District

Transforming Lives Ministry and Spuds Restaurant has helped provide meals to families in need. Churches have donated food and volunteered time to help with Grab ‘n Go meals in our district.

East MS Hub: Multi County Community Service Agency, Inc.

Multi County worked with MS. Food Network to get food staples and local citizens came together with our residents in the Francis Davidson Center to make food bags and pass out to more than 300 families and individuals.

Golden Triangle Hub: Dream Center of Columbus, Inc.

Last Saturday we built 20 complete beds for children ages 3 to 17 so that children will no longer sleep on the floor. Dream Center plans to build 20 more beds in late May and monthly as resources allow. Our goal is that no child will sleep on the floor in Lowndes County. We will then equip other ministries in surrounding counties to do likewise. The Bedz4Kidz program is an extension of our DC Adopt A Block program that seeks to find and need and fill it and find a hurt and heal it. More info at DreamCenter Ms.org.

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