The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi (CFNM) launched Phase II of its FEED Northwest Mississippi Fund thanks to the Dan and Margaret Maddox Foundation, of Hernando, increasing their matching gift to $55,000.
Phase I of the FEED Northwest Mississippi launched on March 19 with an initial grant of $27,500 from the Maddox Foundation and was matched in only ten days. The increase was announced by Maddox Foundation President, Robin Hurdle, on April 9 via a Facebook Live broadcast. The goal of the FEED Northwest Mississippi Fund is to provide emergency financial support to area food pantries, especially ones located in rural areas.
The announcement of the increase to $55,000 can be viewed at the 20-minute mark on the Maddox Foundation’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/maddoxfoundation.
“By increasing the FEED Northwest Mississippi matching grant to $55,000, the Maddox Foundation propelled us into our Phase II efforts, which when matched will provide $110,000 to meet the emergency nutritional needs of children in our 11-county region,” said Lillian Hilson-Morris, chair of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi Board of Directors.
“As of April 6, the Community Foundation has made grants totaling $27,000 to seventeen nonprofit food pantries in our 11 counties,” said Keith Fulcher, President of the Community Foundation. “The Maddox Foundation’s matching grant totaling $55,000 offers us an incredible opportunity to meet the overwhelming nutritional needs of children. I invite everyone to consider helping us raise enough money to secure the total match of $55,000.”
The FEED Northwest Mississippi Fund will help alleviate the cost of feeding thousands of additional individuals, fund mobile food pantries, and create new start-up pantries in areas of greatest need.
“We’ve seen incredible response from around the region,” said Community Foundation’s Development Director, Stacye Trout. “The nonprofits are working harder than ever to secure food and supplies to help families in need. That need is growing with each passing week and CFNM is here to fund those needs and efficiently connect donors. Additionally, 100% of a gift is used to provide food. There are no overhead or administrative fees.”
According to Trout, the Community Foundation has several ways to help FEED Northwest Mississippi in its Phase II efforts:
- Donate money. Your gift is matched dollar-for-dollar and, therefore, you supply double the meals. Each meal is roughly three dollars. $150 turns into $300 and supplies 100 meals.
- Stimulus checks. For those that do not need the CARES Act stimulus check, this is an opportunity to donate, double your gift, and double the number of meals provided to children!
- Sponsor a Mobile Food Pantry. Includes food, transportation, supplies, and volunteers. Nonprofits don’t have to worry about storage and refrigeration.
- $2,700 allows 300 families to receive a 50-pound box of food containing 42 meals.
- $4,500 allows 500 families to receive a 50-pound box of food containing 42 meals.
- Sponsor a County. $15,000 will allow FEED Northwest Mississippi to provide food to the counties most in need by providing 22,000-pounds of food such as mac & cheese, peanut butter, canned soup, frozen meats, vegetables, fresh produce, and dried products such as beans and rice.
- Donate products. Items needed include canned goods, produce, gloves, masks, hand sanitizer, bleach. Through CFNM’s help, A&B Distributing was able to connect with Baptist Memorial Hospital DeSoto and Heartland Hands Food Pantry to deliver over 300 cases of beverages for hospital staff and those in need. Masks sewn by volunteers in Tunica have been provided to food pantries.
- Help align new partners. Provide us with names and contact information of individuals, businesses, foundations, and corporations who you believe have the financial resources and interest in feeding those most in need in our 11-county region, especially those who can donate volumes of food products. The food pantries are now competing with major grocery stores for the same products.
- Publicize the FEED Fund opportunity. Use your social media to share information from our sites through our Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and website.
- Volunteer. Sign up for volunteer opportunities at https://msnorthwesthub.galaxydigital.com/.
Terry and Virginia Carden quickly decided they would donate half of their stimulus check to those serving the less fortunate. “We made the first donation, ahead of receiving the stimulus, to the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, in order to take advantage of the matching funds so generously provided by The Maddox Foundation,” said Terry Carden. “The plight of school children who depend on school breakfasts and lunches for most of their nourishment is unconscionable. So, we will use at least half of our stimulus to help out where there is need.”
Other methods of supporting the FEED Fund is through the setting up of an endowment at the Community Foundation that provides a 25% state income tax credit; gifting through the Charitable IRA Rollover provision that allows an individual to donate up to $100,000 annually and a couple to donate $200,000, without having to count the transfers as income for federal tax purposes; or make a gift of a tangible item that the Foundation can sell and convert to cash.
To make a gift to the FEED Fund and double your gift thanks to the Maddox Match, visit the Community Foundation’s website https://cfnm.org/donate/. In the Donation Designation box, type FEED (add name of the County or Area of Greatest Need), which will earmark 100 percent of your gift to providing food for children under the age of 18 to that specific county. Gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. To make a gift of stock or other appreciated asset, call or text 662-719-1732. Gifts may also be mailed to CFNM, 315 Losher St., Suite 100, Hernando, MS 38632.