Area nonprofit receives grant to help ‘feed need’ in north Mississippi

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – An area non-profit has received a big boost to help it feed a need in North Mississippi.

A charitable foundation presented Meals on Wheels of Lee County with a grant of $45,000 to help feed the area’s senior citizens.

Mississippi is ranked in the top 10 when it comes to states with the highest risk of hunger among senior citizens.

Meals on Wheels of Lee County is on a mission to change that.

It runs 12 volunteer routes that deliver food to senior citizens across the county.

However, Executive Director Ashley McDaniel feels the program delivers much more to those it serves.

“Meals on Wheels, I tell people, is more than just a hot meal; it is a safety check and conversation. Our recipients wait all day for a meal and a conversation with the volunteers,” said McDaniel.

The program relies heavily on donations from individuals and organizations.

The staff recently applied for and won a grant of $45,000 from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation to help them continue their work in the community.

“We hope to expand our routes with the money. It depends on where you live, depends on your waitlist, so we have certain routes that have a longer waitlist than others so we are hoping with the money we can take some people off the waitlist and keep the routes going,” said McDaniel.

The E.R. Carpenter Foundation was founded by a business owner who wanted to continue to give back to the community.

Division Manager of Carpenter Company Troy Fulcher presented the grant to Meals on Wheels and spoke about how he hopes it helps the community.

“I hope it continues to serve the elders in the community and help them grow and reach out to other communities,” said Fulcher.

For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter