Increasing food security by collaborating with food pantries, hot meal services, and weekend backpack programs.
To be a facilitator for Northeast Mississippians to have enough food to live active and healthy lives.
The Hunger Coalition of Northeast Mississippi was formed in 2016 by the Tupelo/Lee County Community Foundation, a CREATE Foundation affiliate. They partnered with the United Way of Northeast Mississippi.
The Hunger Coalition works with all stakeholders who comprise the food distribution system to better understand the current situation and determine what is needed to eliminate food insecurity for all people in Northeast Mississippi.
The Tupelo/Lee County Hunger Coalition was formed in 2016 by the Tupelo/Lee County Community Foundation, a CREATE Foundation affiliate. They partnered with the United Way of Northeast Mississippi.
The Hunger Coalition works with all stakeholders who comprise the food distribution system to better understand the current situation and determine what is needed to eliminate food insecurity for all people in Lee County.
The Hunger Coalition of Northeast Mississippi was formed in 2016 by the Tupelo/Lee County Community Foundation, a CREATE Foundation affiliate. They partnered with the United Way of Northeast Mississippi.
The Hunger Coalition works with all stakeholders who comprise the food distribution system to better understand the current situation and determine what is needed to eliminate food insecurity for all people in Northeast Mississippi.
To be a facilitator for Northeast Mississippians to have enough food to live active and healthy lives.
Increasing food security by collaborating with food pantries, hot meal services, and weekend backpack programs.
A portion of our work involves educating the community about the deep impact of food insecurity and raising awareness of the needs and organizations providing resources. Our communication plan involves speaking at church and civic organizations, producing a video to explain what food insecurity is and who we are as an organization, developing a website, and furthering our work through a robust social media campaign.
We are advocating for better resources, funding, and the level of need at the local and state level. This is accomplished through awareness and making connections with individuals who can help us impact and influence local and state leaders.
I am a native Tennessean who moved to Tupelo in 2008. I have been with United Way of Northeast Mississippi since 2018, serving as the director of the Hunger Coalition. I am a graduate of Mississippi State University, with a bachelor’s in Business Administration. Prior to working for United Way, I served as a youth pastor for seventeen years and previously co-owned a land surveying business in Tennessee. I have been the director of the St. Luke Food Pantry in Tupelo since 2013 and still hold that position as well. In 2019 I was elected to serve on the board of the Mid-South Food Bank, which provides services to eighteen counties in North Mississippi. In 2020, I was named as an “Extra Mile Hero” by the mayor and city council of Tupelo. In 2021, the Hunger Coalition received an honorable mention for Covid-19 response by the Governor’s Initiative for Volunteer Excellence.
