100 Women Who Care raise over $20,000 for Starkville
The Starkville chapter of 100 Women Who Care raised $26,000 for nonprofit organizations in Starkville, and on Monday, March 1 they held a Facebook
Live event where they were able to vote on awarding five organizations grants.
100 Women Who Care is an organization that spans across political party, race, educational background and other societal lines whose purpose is to have 100 women of the community donate $100 once a year to help better the community they are a part of. They set up the Starkville chapter the week of Nov. 15, 2020 and they are looking to make a serious posi
tains the cleanliness and accessibility of the Tennessee River system.
Starkville Utilities and TVA presented grants to four local nonprofit organizations who will help Starkville residents who are facing hardships because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starkville Utilities matched TVA’S COVID Community Care Fund that focuses on providing financial assistance and helping put meals on the table for families for a combined $6,700.
Terry Kemp, the general manager for Starkville Utilities, is happy to be able to provide economic relief for those in the community.
“Many of our neighbors continue struggling with health and economic impacts created by the pandemic,” Kemp said. “We are thankful that grants from the TVA COVID Community Care Fund are available to help more individuals and families in need of assistance.”
Christian World Missions, Calvary Baptist Church, Friends of J.L. King Center and Friends of the Starkville Public Library are the four local organizations who were awarded grant money from the COVID Community Care Fund.
Christian World Missions was awarded $1,000 to finance food preparation, packaging and delivery for those in Oktibbeha County who cannot leave their houses due to the severity of COVID-19 like elderly and immunocompromised.
Calvary Baptist Church will use their $1,200 to support the Food Closet Project to help bring food and toiletries to those who need them.
Friends of J.L. King Center are going to help fund weekly workshops to help people figure out how to properly manage energy cost as energy bills especially in the summer months can be very expensive.
Finally, Friends of Starkville Public
Library will utilize $2,500 for support with the library’s digital capabilities. The Starkville Public Library’s parking lot is a Wifi spot for those who cannot connect to their internet at home, and it is one of the services the library is letting people in for because a lot of learning and meetings have been online since last March. They understand the importance of needing that technology while trying to stay connected. This will also help fund a podcasting and video lab for the community.
On top of helping community organizations, Starkville Utilities also offers options for their customers struggling to make payments.
“We are fortunate that Starkville is served by a variety of nonprofits that provide essential services for vulnerable individuals and families,” Kemp said. “At Starkville Utilities, we’re also helping customers by practicing maximum flexibility in payment plans. We encourage those who are struggling financially to call 662-323-3133 and speak to one of our representatives.”