Mississippi Power Foundation teams up with Goodr to host pop-up grocery markets
For many South Mississippi families, putting food on the table can be a daily challenge.
The Mississippi Power Foundation partnered with Goodr to help ease that burden, distributing free groceries to hundreds of families in need.
Volunteers spent the afternoon packing groceries and loading them directly into cars at the Good Deeds Community Center.
The event provides groceries and other essential food items at no cost and the demand is clear. Registration filled up weeks ago with nearly 900 families signing up for assistance. Mississippi Power Director of Corporate Responsibility Arnie Williams said, “We’re excited to partner with Goodr in these pop-up markets throughout our service territory. We were recently in Hattiesburg and Meridian and we’re excited to be able to bring this to the Mississippi Gulf Coast here in Gulfport. In essence what we’re doing, we’re feeding 275 families here in Gulfport with free food at no cost to them. We know that during the summer months budgets can be a little tight so we’re hoping that this opportunity that we’re experiencing with these families today will kind of relieve a little bit of detention maybe in some of those tight budgets during the summer months. We’d like to let our communities know that we’re more than just poles and wires, we go beyond that. We go beyond the provider of electric service; this is us being a citizen wherever we serve.”
Organizers say events likes this do more than provide a single meal. They help stretch household budgets, free up money for other essential expenses, and connect families with additional resources in the community. Mississippi Power Spokeswoman Kaila Moran Griffith said, “All the volunteers today, we’re really passionate about local needs in our communities. What does really make a difference? And I know this time of year a lot of that is food insecurity. We know people coming through our line today, probably could really use these groceries. And what’s cool is that these aren’t just shelf items which are great they last in your pantry, you can make them stretch but also fresh produce, fresh meat, things that may be a little bit more pricey in grocery stores that may be fall off your grocery list if you don’t have that ability to get them. So, it’s really cool to be able to find the need in our community that our employees are passionate about and be able to make even just a small difference. Especially this time of year when we know it’s back to school and people are having to buy a lot of school supplies, getting back to work, getting back to those routines, so hopefully this makes a little bit of a difference today.”
Organizers say the need for food assistance remains high across the Coast and they hope events like this can continue to provide relief to those in need.
