Refill Café

Hospitality has been one of the hardest-hit industries in the country after COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders kept many people from venturing out to restaurants and limiting all nonessential travel. Despite its own closure, one local eatery and nonprofit found a way to support restaurant workers.

Refill Café, a casual restaurant and nonprofit workforce training program in Jackson, stepped up to provide assistance to foodservice industry workers who lost their jobs or experienced reduced hours because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization gave $50 checks to help these individuals purchase groceries and supplies or simply make ends meet.

Learn more about Refill Café by visiting the organization’s website or following them on social media.

LEARN MORE

Mississippi organizations, like Refill Café, demonstrate through their tireless efforts to serve their community, that our state is truly the most generous state in the nation. Thank you to the entire team for being an example of what it means to show compassion for our neighbors.

< BACK TO OUR STORIES

Operation Shoestring

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a tremendous challenge for afterschool programs across our state. Our partner, Operation Shoestring, has temporarily suspended its in-person services. Despite this suspension, the organization’s staff, board, and volunteers are working to ensure that Shoestring’s more than 300 children and youth and their families have access to nutrition and fun, engaging learning resources with virtual summer camp.

Thank you, Operation Shoestring, for your efforts to continue to uplift children and families in Central Jackson. This work significantly contributes to creating a bright future for our entire state.

To learn more about Operations Shoestring visit the organization’s website.

< BACK TO OUR STORIES

Walter Anderson Museum

Museums are a critical part of creating thriving communities, and the COVID-19 pandemic has forced museums around the country to close their doors to the public. Despite the closings, the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, continues its educational outreach. The institution provides an opportunity for teachers to connect with a museum educator by video conference to lead in-gallery instruction with students free of charge. The museum has also created a series of video learning opportunities to keep children and adults engaged in arts education. You can watch the videos on the museum’s Vimeo page.

WATCH VIDEOS

The museum is living out its educational philosophy to “deliver intergenerational outreach and programming,” even though children and families cannot visit.

Thank you to the museum team for your creativity and commitment to inspiring discovery, imagination, and community-building for people on the Gulf Coast and around the state.

< BACK TO OUR STORIES

Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy

The Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy (The Alliance) works to build capacity and foster collaboration among and between nonprofits and philanthropic communities. Although COVID-19 has made it more challenging for nonprofits and philanthropic organizations to connect, The Alliance is finding meaningful ways to bring people and organizations together across Mississippi.

The organization is providing resources to nonprofits to help them navigate virtual teams and remote working. The program team provides weekly webinars that highlight best practices from organizations and experts around the state who are working on COVID-19 response efforts.

The Alliance has also created a COVID-19 resources hub with information relevant to philanthropy, nonprofits, and individuals. The resource hub includes information about how nonprofits can apply for the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program.

COVID-19 UPDATES

We are grateful for The Alliance’s leadership. We applaud their efforts to continue creating community and collaboration among charitable organizations and donors.

< BACK TO OUR STORIES

Mississippi Arts Commission

The arts community has suffered significantly from the COVID-19 pandemic with museums, art galleries, and entertainment venues forced to close. These closures severely affect the livelihood of artists and entertainers. That’s why the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) has stepped up to provide resources and support for its grantees, people who have recently applied for grants, and those interested in upcoming funding opportunities.

MAC will also be working with the arts community to provide funding that Congress made available through the economic relief package. Learn about the CARES act funding opportunities here. These funds are critical to ensuring Mississippi’s arts community can thrive. When the arts thrive, communities thrive. For more information on the work they’re doing, visit their website, www.arts.ms.gov, or connect with them via social media at www.facebook.com/MississippiArtsCommission.

Thank you to MAC for providing opportunities to artists and arts organizations to help ensure the arts will continue to flourish in our state.

#allinthistogether #Mississippistrong

< BACK TO OUR STORIES

COVID-19 and Extra Table

The global COVID-19 pandemic has left thousands of Mississippians without a job or a way to provide for their families. Many families who have never depended on food pantries are now seeking help to ensure their families have food, as many of them have severely depleted their food supply. This new reality means food pantries need extra support to meet the needs of people in their communities. Thankfully, in Mississippi, we have Extra Table, a nonprofit that is working tirelessly to fill this need.

Extra Table is committed to ending hunger in Mississippi. The organization provides new and healthy food to food pantries and soup kitchens to feed the hungry. In addition to providing food to Mississippi’s 40 food pantries and soup kitchens, Extra Table recently kicked off a #NowMoreThanEver t-shirt fundraiser to raise money to support the immediate need for food that families across Mississippi are facing. To support this cause you can purchase a t-shirt and support their work visit their website.

Extra Table T-shirt Campaign

Thank you, Extra Table, for going the extra mile to help Mississippians thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud to call you a partner.

#allinthistogether #Mississippistrong

< BACK TO OUR STORIES

Mississippi Humanities Council

Mississippians have a deep appreciation for arts and culture. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, Mississippi Humanities Council is continuing to provide residents with engaging and insightful programming. These efforts help us all learn more about ourselves and the world around us through virtual presentations. The organization traditionally hosts in-person presentations on a wide variety of topics, including history, literature, religion, languages, philosophy, and culture. Now, they are partnering with organizations to bring these presentations to you online.

If you are interested in learning about new history and culture, visit the Council’s Facebook page for information about upcoming online presentations. If your organization is interested in hosting a virtual speakers’ bureau presentation, contact Molly McMillan at mmcmillan@mhc.state.ms.us.

Learn More

The Mississippi Humanities Council is also accepting applications from Mississippi cultural organizations affected by the COVID-19 crisis for emergency support through their CARES Emergency Grants. Visit their website to learn more.

CARES ACT GRANTS

Thank you to the Mississippi Humanities Council for finding a creative way to continue providing engaging learning opportunities.

#allinthistogether #Mississippistrong

< BACK TO OUR STORIES

Stewpot Community Services, Inc.

Organizations like Stewpot Community Services, Inc. provide a critical service for people experiencing homelessness and those with the most need. In the face of the growing public health crisis, Stewpot continues to provide essential services like food, clothing, and shelter. The organization is closely following safety recommendations by the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The organization is also delivering food and school supplies to the children, teens, and families it serves. Their work is a shining example of what it means to be for Mississippi, for good. Learn more about Stewpot’s COVID-19 response at https://stewpot.org/stewpot-addresses-covid-19/.

Thank you to the team at Stewpot for all of your work in these most difficult times.

#allinthistogether #Mississippistrong

< BACK TO OUR STORIES

Mississippi Children’s Museum

The COVID-19 crisis has completely changed the way children learn, play, and interact with others, which can be hard on both the children and their families. The team at the Mississippi Children’s Museum (MCM) has found a way to bring joy to children and relief to parents looking for constructive ways to keep little ones busy. MCM created a series of interactive and engaging videos to keep children active and learning while home from school. Even though the museum is closed, you can participate in a virtual visit on their Facebook page.

Thank you to the Mississippi Children’s Museum for creating a little sunshine for the children of our state.

#allinthistogether #Mississippistrong

< BACK TO OUR STORIES