Category Archives: nonprofit

Mama 2 Mama, a local nonprofit organization and podcast, provides free diapers and shelter to needy mothers

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Organization provides mother with housing

Delta Digital News Service

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

By Avery Jones | Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Mama 2 Mama, a new nonprofit organization in Jonesboro, recently celebrated their one year anniversary. They were officially established in 2023 on International Women’s Day, March 8. 

Mama 2 Mama provides services, advice, and connection for mothers, especially those who struggle financially. They also host a podcast in which they discuss the struggles of motherhood and promote resources for mothers.

“Mama 2 Mama was established to lift the physical, psychological, and financial wellbeings of mothers,” said Brionna Palmer, the executive director. “Regardless of their hardship, we are aiming to help with their development and create a path to motherhood success. We want to lift those barriers and be able to provide services and supplies for immediate and long-term needs.”

Diaper drive on March 30.

Currently, Mama 2 Mama has a diaper assistance program and a rapid rehousing rental assistance program. The diaper assistance program provides free diapers to those who need them, and the rehousing assistance helps to get struggling mothers a place to live.

The diaper assistance program began as a diaper drive in which they collected donations to provide free diapers to the local community, which they still do frequently. Palmer wanted to not only alleviate the need, but also spread awareness about it.

According to Palmer, one in two U.S. families struggle to afford diapers. The cost of diapers has increased from $80 to $100 per month for most families. She wants to eventually be able to provide enough diapers for up to three months at a time for each family that needs it.

At their most recent diaper drive on March 30, they were able to provide diapers for over 66 families. Altogether, from their first diaper drive, they have been able to serve 154 families.

Their rehousing assistance program aims to help mothers get their own place to live. Most of their participants rent, not own, so it can sometimes be a struggle to stay stably housed, especially considering inflation. 

“It’s always a mother’s dream to have a room set aside and decorate it for her child,” Palmer said.

Palmer (left) with Ms. Garza (right), the mother who they rehoused.

The program provides the deposit and the first month’s rent to allow the mother to find her bearings. It’s a very new program, so they’ve only had one beneficiary so far. The mother, who has three children, was staying with a relative. Mama 2 Mama partnered with Cox-Wortham Real Estate to help her find affordable housing.

“Staying on someone’s couch was not appropriate for her family,” Palmer stated. 

Mama 2 Mama started out with a podcast, of which they still periodically release episodes. Palmer launched the podcast with her cohost and current business partner, Jada Alloway. They collaborated with KLEK, a local radio station. 

“We just started inviting other local business owners, entrepreneurs, women, mothers that are out serving the community of Northeast Arkansas,” Palmer said. “We just bring them all to uplift and encourage other mothers that it is possible to obtain your dreams and be around like minded women, individuals in Jonesboro and other counties as well.”

On the podcasts, they typically discuss the daily life of being a mother, their dreams, their faith, ways to network, and their upcoming events. They also bring awareness to other organizations, businesses, and resources for mothers.

Palmer was inspired to start Mama 2 Mama because she was feeling overwhelmed herself due to her career and her job as a mother. Palmer previously worked for another nonprofit organization at which she began to feel overloaded.

“I just felt like I was limited to the resources here,” Palmer said. “I started doing some research and trying to find some mom groups and some organizations that help mothers…I saw that there wasn’t too many.”

From here, she branched out and researched the diaper need as well. She realized that this was something she could do herself; she had the skills from her previous job and didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t found her own organization for mothers.

She wanted for mothers like her to feel connected and appreciated, regardless of their financial situation or employment status. As a mother, she knows that motherhood is a full-time job in itself. Her goal is to help mothers reach their best life.

Currently, Mama 2 Mama is funded primarily by banks and other local businesses and organizations that engage in community reinvestment. They haven’t received any grants as of yet, but hope to soon and are preparing to be grant-ready.

Palmer’s future vision for Mama 2 Mama is to have their own facility, which will be called a “community hub.” She wants to offer childbirth education, therapy and counseling services especially for postpartum depression, financial literacy courses, and a computer lab for mothers to do research and apply for jobs.

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Avery Jones 

Avery Jones is a junior in The Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She can be reached at avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

Note: Featured image shows Jada Alloway (left) and Brionna Palmer (right).

Hope Found NEA hosts 4th annual Date Night With A Purpose

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Event fundraiser combats human trafficking

Delta Digital News Service

Monday, Feb. 26, 2024

By Laila Casiano | Contributor 

JONESBORO, Ark. — Hope Found of Northeast Arkansas (NEA) recently celebrated its 4th Annual Date Night with a Purpose to raise funds to combat human trafficking, earning $21,717.74.

     Co-founders Megan Brown, Audra King, Mary Sellers and Miranda Ballard founded the organization in 2018 to provide resources and services to individuals affected by human trafficking. They began a fundraiser event that would raise money for these services. 

     “The idea is that you can enjoy a fine-dining meal from your home,” Brown, the executive director of HopeFoundNEA, said. “We partnered with award-winning restaurants and chefs, and so for this year, we partnered with award-winning chef Dana Lamel and the award-winning bakery Southern Confections.”

“The idea is that you can enjoy a fine-dining meal from your home. We partnered with award-winning restaurants and chefs, and so for this year, we partnered with award-winning chef Dana Lamel and the award-winning bakery Southern Confections.”

Megan Brown, executive director and co-founder of HopeFoundNEA

     On February 16, customers bought a ticket that would include two dinners and desserts to choose from. This year’s menu consisted of wild mushrooms and beef tip paste in a brown demi sauce, chicken Tuscan pasta, pasta primavera, served with an additional Caesar salad, homemade garlic bread and a cheesecake for dessert. The meals then would be delivered to the customers’ home (within a 25-mile radius of Jonesboro or an option for pickup) between 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

     The initial launch of Date Night with a Purpose happened in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing and Brown said it worked out perfectly and was a “huge success” for them.

     “When we first started, we were looking for a fundraiser idea that hadn’t been done around here yet,” Brown said. “We had a partner (Ancora TN) and they do a similar fundraiser, and they call it the ‘No Show Ball,’ and so we quickly recognized that this type of fundraiser wasn’t done around here.”

     HopeFoundNEA schedules three major fundraisers yearly, the first being Date Night with a Purpose, where the goal for this year’s fundraiser was $40,000.

In June, they have a motorcycle ride-in called “Riding Against Trafficking” in the Fall, they have a coffee festival. In these fundraiser events, they utilize volunteers to help execute those events. For Date Night, three volunteers —Sherrie Mitchell, Bridgette Craig and Paige Pickering — attended to help deliver the dishes to customers who bought a ticket.

     Mitchell, a Jonesboro native and mother of Brown, helps her daughter with HopeFoundNEA and helps with their fundraiser events, holding a position as a member of the advisory board since 2018. Mitchell took charge over listings for delivery.

     “We have sold tickets, and we have sponsors for this dinner,” Mitchell said. “This is just a great thing to help and support our program.”

     Craig, a Brookland native and new to the board since October, began as a volunteer for the program’s coffee festival.

     “We have a lot of community sponsors, so in addition to ticket sales, we have sponsors that will help fund and educate and fight against human trafficking,” Craig said.

     Paige Pickering, a board member with HopeFoundNEA from Searcy, Arkansas, said this is her first Date Night with a Purpose event. The company that she’s employed by, Life Strategies Counseling Inc., sponsored events for HopeFoundNEA in the past.

     “I have not been ‘boots-on-the-ground’ helping with this (before), so I am really excited,” Pickering said. “I am really excited to hopefully answer people’s questions and see what they can learn about our mission and generally being face-to-face with people.”

     The money raised would be used to provide case management services for the survivors they serve. HopeFoundNEA currently employs one survivor advocate on their staff, and with this money, Brown hopes they can hire another one to serve more people.

     HopeFoundNEA conducts many educational presentations for the community or those who want to learn about human trafficking. Last year they educated 5,000 individuals within the area. Recently, they have been teaching the youth about human trafficking through virtual reality (VR), where they have VR headsets to teach the students about the survivors of human trafficking. The Youth can essentially live through the eyes of the victim and learn how they can be “tricked and lured” into trafficking through a fictitious environment and circumstances.

     Brown hopes that the community will become empowered and educated in knowing what signs to look out for regarding human trafficking.

     “We are here, and human trafficking does happen here; a lot of people think that human trafficking is something that happens overseas or in big, larger cities, but unfortunately, it does happen here,” Brown said. “I want them to know that there is a program here that is meeting the need for these victims that are recovering from trafficking, and there is a program here that is providing education for the community.”

Donations are still open.

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Laila Casiano

 Laila Casiano is a junior in the multimedia journalism program in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: laila.casiano@smail.astate.edu

NOTE: Feature photo shows from left, members of HopeFoundNEA, Bridgette Craig; Sherrie Mitchell; Paige Pickering

The 2nd annual “African-Americans and the Arts” planned for this weekend

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Fisher Street Community in Action, a nonprofit organization, is hosting the event for Black History Month

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Feb. 23, 2024

By Avery Jones | Editor

The theme of 2023’s Black History Month celebration.

JONESBORO, Ark. – Jonesboro nonprofit Fisher Street Community in Action will host the 2nd annual “African American and The Arts” event in recognition of Black History Month from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 24. Last year, they had about 50 attendees and hope to have more this year. 

According to event organizer Ruby McKinley, event participants will portray various African-American actors, both alive and deceased as attendees guess which famous person is being portrayed. Refreshments will be provided.

“The purpose of the activity is to get the community involved in Black history and to inform them of Black history then and now as to how things have evolved from slavery to now,” McKinley said. 

“The purpose of the activity is to get the community involved in Black history and to inform them of Black history then and now as to how things have evolved from slavery to now,”

Ruby McKinley, event organizer

The event will also feature Dr. Lonnie Williams as its guest speaker. Williams, who is the vice-chancellor of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, will discuss the history and impact of African-Americans in the arts.

Alongside Williams, other guests will be in attendance including Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver, who plans to give a proclamation during the festivity. 

FSCIA was started by Rev. Dr. Charles Coleman, who operates as its CEO. The organization’s goal was to get the students from the Success Achievement Academy involved in gardening, an alternative learning program, in the organization’s community garden.

“The first year we did that, we had a group of students that was so excited about the garden…they chose the type of vegetables that they wanted to plant and they had their own space,” McKinley said.

“The first year we did that, we had a group of students that was so excited about the garden…they chose the type of vegetables that they wanted to plant and they had their own space,”

Ruby McKinley, event organizer

FSCIA is funded by donations and has been providing help in the community for 13 years. The organization participates in the Toys for Tots program, conducts its own toy giveaway, provide community clean-up services twice a year and hosts the “National Night Out” every year, where they inform and spread awareness about community programs and services, provide free food, games, and more.

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Avery Jones

Avery Jones is a junior in The Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She can be reached at avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

NOTE: Feature photo is of 2023’s Black History Month celebration from the FSCIA.

Local nonprofits and businesses offer free Thanksgiving meals

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Many free Thanksgiving meals offered around town for community gathering

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, December 1, 2023

By Avery Jones | Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. — This Thanksgiving, some local small businesses and nonprofit organizations offered free community Thanksgiving meals open to all in Jonesboro. These events are hosted for the homeless, those without family, those without the money for a Thanksgiving meal, or simply those who want to engage with the community.

The Hope House, a nonprofit organization that provides for the homeless and low-income population, hosted a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, November 16, from 11 AM to 1 PM and then 2 PM to 4 PM. The event was held at their location.

“Our goal is…to be able to be a blessing to those in the community who may be struggling at this time to just have a simple Thanksgiving meal, especially for those who are less fortunate,” said Terri James, the director of Hope House. “Sometimes those of us who are blessed, we kind of get [blind], and we just don’t realize how fortunate we are. To be able to give back to the community is also a way we can say thank you for supporting the Hope House.”

However, the event wasn’t intended just for those less fortunate, but for anyone who wanted to come and partake. They hoped to feed at least 200 to 250 people. They had at least twenty-five volunteers helping out, five of which were staff members at Hope House, but more were welcome to help.

This was the first time the Hope House was able to host a community Thanksgiving. The meal was entirely arranged by them and provided for by donations from the local community.

They planned to serve chicken, ham, dressing, green beans, corn, potato salad, macaroni salad, and desserts. Carry-out was offered for anyone who was unable to stay.

The city of Jonesboro arranged a community Thanksgiving at the St. Bernards Auditorium on Thanksgiving day starting at 10:30 “for the hungry, the homeless, and the lonely,” according to the event’s Facebook page. Home delivery within the city limits was offered for anyone who couldn’t come.

The food was provided by members of the community. Donations for non-refrigerated desserts were taken from 1 to 5:30 PM on the Wednesday before. Volunteers arrived at 9:30 the next morning, and anyone was welcome to help without former notice.

The Jonesboro community Thanksgiving has been hosted almost every year since at least 2014. They usually serve around 1,800 or more meals, with around 1,200 of those being home delivery. The amount of volunteers varies between 500 to 750.

The VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) in Jonesboro hosted a Thanksgiving at their location on Thanksgiving day from 12 to 2 PM. They have hosted community Thanksgivings for many years.

According to Kay Baker, who works at the VFW, the purpose of the meal was to offer to everyone who doesn’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving an opportunity for friendship and fellowship. The meal was not just for veterans, but for everyone who wanted to participate.

The food was provided for by donations from the community of food and funds, as well as from fundraisers. Most of the food was donated directly, and the food was prepared by volunteers at the location that day.

“There is a big turnout. There’s a lot of veterans that have no place to go and a lot of other people that don’t have a place to go, so they come here,” Baker said.

They served turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, and desserts. To-go plates were offered for anyone who was unable to stay.

Marie Turner, owner of Billie Marie’s Auction, hosted a community Thanksgiving at her store on Thanksgiving day from 3 to 5 PM. This was her first time hosting a meal, but she has given out Thanksgiving boxes before.

“I always wanted to serve hot meals to people on Thanksgiving, [but] was never able to until this year, and I am so excited,” Turner said.

According to Turner, the event was for anyone who needed a hot meal or was alone on Thanksgiving, and also for any police officers or EMTs that were on duty during Thanksgiving and in need of a meal. She arranged the event herself, using donations from family, friends, and customers.

They had at least fourteen volunteers helping with the meal, including some of her family members. Delivery in the Jonesboro area was offered for anyone who needed it; they already had fifty deliveries scheduled by November 15. They served turkey, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie, rolls, and tea.

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Avery Jones

Avery Jones is a junior in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

Note: Feature photo by Ana Maltez on Unsplash.

NEA looks forward to Hispanic Heritage Month festivities

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Plenty of festivities are planned for Hispanic Heritage Month

Delta Digital News Service

Monday, Sept. 11, 2023

By Caroline Cherry Averitt | Contributor

JONESBORO, Ark. – At 6-months-old, Juanita Acosta moved with her family from Colombia to Arkansas. Growing up, people often mistook her for being Mexican. Since then, she embraced diversity and an understanding of different cultures and feels proud of her Hispanic heritage. 

Currently Acosta serves as the project manager and community navigator supervisor at El Centro Hispano, a nonprofit organization serving the Hispanic community of Northeast Arkansas. 

Acosta has been working with El Centro Hispano to organize events for recognition and celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. 

From Zumba classes and festivals, to parties and vaccination drives, residents of Jonesboro can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in a variety of different ways. These events not only honor Hispanic heritage, but will also provide a space for anyone to learn about Hispanic cultures. 

“Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and it’s interesting because it’s also around the time of independence for different Latin American countries,” Acosta said. 

“Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and it’s interesting because it’s also around the time of independence for different Latin American countries,” 

Juanita Acosta

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua celebrate independence Sept. 15. Mexico celebrates independence Sept. 16 and Chile celebrates independence Sept. 18. 

El Centro Hispano will begin offering Zumba classes Sept. 16 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Union Park Pavilion, next to United Way at 407 Union St. The classes will be open to the public. 

Acosta said El Centro Hispano saw a need for community and connection, as well as health issues, which sparked the idea for the classes. 

Salsa for Scholarships, an event under the NEA Professional Network Committee, will also be held Sept. 16 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Brickhouse. This event will be $20 per person and feature a live DJ and Latin dancing. 

“It’s a good opportunity to go meet other Hispanics in the area,” Acosta said, “and raise funds for scholarships for students in Northeast Arkansas.”

The Craighead County Jonesboro Library invited El Centro Hispano to do readings and participate in a festival honoring Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Claudia Fuentes, the programs coordinator at El Centro Hispano, said each week they will choose a Spanish children’s book to read. 

Chrissy Holbrook, the public relations and marketing manager at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, said this will be the first time the library will be hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month Festival. 

Previously, the library held the Arts & Crafts fair twice a year, but they decided to focus on certain themes. 

“In May, we did it for the Asian Pacific (American Heritage Month). So, for September, we wanted to do the Hispanic Heritage Month,” Holbrook said. 

“In May, we did it for the Asian Pacific (American Heritage Month). So, for September, we wanted to do the Hispanic Heritage Month,” 

Chrissy Holbrook, PR and Marketing director for the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library

The festival will be Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local food and craft vendors will set up booths and there will be Hispanic storytime in English and Spanish. 

El Centro Hispano is partnering with Southern Pharmacy to provide COVID-19 vaccines at the festival. 

“We’ve seen that sometimes with minority communities, they can be kind of scared to go to a pharmacy and be unsure– like not knowing if they have health insurance or not sure if they’re going to be treated right– stuff like that. So, we always try to find ways to create accessibility,” Acosta said. 

El Centro Hispano will be posting more information and updates on their Facebook and Instagram pages. 

In addition to celebrations through El Centro Hispano, organizations on the campus of Arkansas State University also plan to host events to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. 

The Multicultural Center, Hermana y Hermano and Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Incorporada will be partnering together to host El Grito. The event will include food, games and dancing. 

Heidy Bulbarela-Hernandez, a junior graphic design major from Stuttgart, Arkansas, serves as the co-social and community service chair for SIA, the Latin-based sorority on A-State campus. 

“(El Grito) will be a sort of party in Centennial (Hall) and we’re going to do sort of like everything– some games, we plan to have some dancers and dance instructors and music,” Bulbarela-Hernandez said. 

The event will be Sept. 15 from 6-8 p.m. at Centennial Hall in the Reng Student Union. 

The sorority will also host SIA Week Sept. 25-29. 

“We’ll be having a bonfire Sept. 26 for Meeting the SIAs and then (Sept. 27) is Roses with Teacher Supplies, which is our community service. Then (Sept. 28) is Cantaritos which is an educational event where we will be painting plant pots. So, it’s just a part of a bonding activity,” Bulbarela-Hernandez said. 

SIA will host Spanish Around the World Oct. 12 to educate about the language and Spanish-speaking cultures. 

“We should be learning Spanish and about the Spanish language in different countries– Spain, Portugal, in Latin America– and how that’s changed over time and how each one is unique in its own,” Bulbarela-Hernandez said. 

SIA will be posting more information and updates on their Instagram page. 

The Multicultural Center will host a Hispanic Heritage Month party Oct. 12 on the first floor of the Reng Student Union from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a DJ, food and crafts. 

Natan Gomez, a senior biotechnology major from Irapuato, Mexico, serves as president of Hermana y Hermano on A-State campus. The organization provides mentorship for students from all backgrounds. 

Hermana y Hermano plans to organize more events for Hispanic Heritage Month. For updates, check out their Instagram page.

Trinity Haynes, the education program coordinator at the Multicultural Center, said she tried to make an effort to ensure the Hispanic population at A-State felt appreciated and celebrated during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

“ I know being on a campus where a lot of people don’t look like you. It may not always feel like you’re being appreciated or you’re not being celebrated correctly,” Haynes said. “I really hope from this month, they get out of it that we do appreciate them. We love having them here on campus.”

Carolina Elmore, assistant director of El Centro Hispano, said Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes what the Hispanic community contributes to the culture in the United States. 

“That’s what the month is, you know, the Hispanic families living here and how much they have contributed to culture,” Elmore said. 

Elmore mentioned sports, history and music as areas of influence from the Hispanic community. Fuentes added food as a major contribution. 

“So, I think what makes me proud being a Hispanic is that there are so many things we can bring. You know, we tend to be very happy people. We all were hard workers. We like to do our best,” Acosta said. 

Elmore said many people in Northeast Arkansas assume all Hispanics come from Mexico or immigrated illegally, but she wants people to know Hispanics come from diverse backgrounds and many work as professionals in the community. 

According to the 2020 US Census, Hispanics account for 8.5% of the population of Arkansas, a 38.1% increase since 2010. 

“We’re having more and more people arrive to rural areas like Jonesboro, or like maybe Wynne, areas where you wouldn’t even think of there being Hispanics. So, you have to find a way to incorporate those communities and see how we can all come together to be better people to be better as a whole,” Acosta said.

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Caroline Cherry Averitt

Caroline Cherry Averitt is a junior at Arkansas State University from Jonesboro, Arkansas. Her major is multimedia journalism with a minor in writing studies concentrating in creative writing. She can be reached at: caroline.averitt@smail.astate.edu

Bikers show up for 3rd annual Ride Against Trafficking

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Bikers show up to show support

Delta Digital News Service

June 3, 2023

By Avery Jones | Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – On Saturday, June 3, Hope Found NEA, a nonprofit organization located in Jonesboro fighting human trafficking, hosted the 3rd annual Ride Against Trafficking. Participants arrived at 9 a.m. to register at Central Baptist Church and rode out at around 10 a.m.

The event is a fundraiser in which cyclists complete a dice run and enjoy a free meal afterwards. For the run, each individual or group roll dice at each stop and adding up the results at the end to see who has the highest total. The group with the highest wins $100, while the lowest wins $50.

According to the organizer of the event and the founder of Hope Found, Megan Brown, the money will go toward programs to raise awareness in the community about human trafficking and services for victims. She thought a motorcycle ride would also be a good way to raise awareness.

“There wasn’t a lot of bike rides that I knew of in this area, but especially those that were focusing on this issue,” she said. “With bikers being on the road constantly, it was a good way to be able to get them educated on what signs and red flags of a trafficking situation may look like.”

Brown stated that she chose the church as a meeting place because it has a pavilion for shade, and it’s a central location that’s easy to get onto and off the route from. They have chosen a different place each year for the event so far.

There was a large crowd at the event. Along with several bikers, there were many volunteers and workers at the registration stand, selling t-shirts, and providing drinks. Brown stated that she expected a bigger crowd than last year’s event. 

Nearly 30 bikers participated last year; she expected about 50 to come this year. Twenty-two bikers pre-registered, with several more registering the day of the event. There were individuals, large groups, and even adults with kids.

A retired Pocahontas husband and wife duo that go by the road names Twisted and Hugs respectively were present representing their NEA chapter of Warriors Empowering Children, a nonprofit organization of bikers who support and protect children that have been through abuse. 

If the child is old enough, the group teaches them to ride, while also boosting their confidence. Members of the organization guard the children to make them feel safer, and escort them to school if need be. If the child has to go to court to testify against their abuser, the bikers will escort them to court. Each child receives a vest that proclaims, “I Am A Warrior” on the back.

“We’re all about bringing kids out of the darkness,” Twisted said.

Adam Farmer, an instructor with the Jonesboro Grappling Association, was there with Rachel Thieme. Thieme is a photographer and also works at St. Bernards.

“Megan reached out to us a while back last year to see if we would be interested in sponsoring [the event], and we discussed women’s self-defense, women’s safety, and we believe in the cause, so we decided to sponsor it,” Farmer said.

Both Farmer and Thieme are Jonesboro natives. Farmer has been riding for seventeen years.

There were a few people for whom it was their first time at the event. Jeff McDonald is a software engineer. He’s been riding for ten to fifteen years. 

He was there to “raise awareness,” and stated he’s also “learning more about [Hope Found] from the event.”

According to Brown, the ride was slated to last between 2 to 2 and half hours. Their first stop was Lorado Grocery and Grill. Afterwards, the bikers kept going north on Highway 141 into Lafe.

Their second stop was Jordan’s Quick Stop in Oak Grove before going to Paragould. Their third stop was another Jordan’s in Lake City before heading back to the church to finish the run.

Riders were provided with a free lunch, courtesy of Smokes Up BBQ. 

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Avery Jones 

Avery Jones is a sophomore in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

Free Food Transfer Hub for the Homeless

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by Yu Bai
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO — About 48,000 homeless people live in Arkansas: 8.5% of them are veterans and 20% of them have a serious mental illness. People who suffer homelessness are also struggling with a serious problem: hunger.

Many factors are contributing to this problem. Homeless people in the age group of 60 to 65 in Arkansas are mostly African-American or Hispanic and they lack transportation to the food vendors, so they are more susceptible to food deprivation.

“I don’t think there is anything that directly contributes to homelessness other than the circle of poverty. People cannot buy food without money. The most difficult problem I have to face is about getting fresh food,” said Vonte Benjamin, who has been homeless since 2018.

Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas

The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas started in Jonesboro in November 2012. This organization distributes food to people in need through nonprofit agencies and networks.

“We are a member of Feeding America. We have served more than 30 million pounds of food to homeless and the poor since we established,” Corporate Partnerships coordinator Amber Horton said.

Living in an agricultural state, FBNA makes every effort to ensure it provides the freshest and safest food. Local and national manufacturers, retailers and growers supply the food sources. Otherwise, people who work in the Department of Food Security will destroy other unidentified food.

Benjamin said the place he has been living has no kitchen to cook in so he went to the food bank to find fresh food.

The organization runs its work with a mature industrial chain. It distributes four-to-five kinds of food to 20 locations in 12 different counties each year. People must check a schedule list before they go to the designated location to get food.

Homeless people have a chance to get an emergency box that includes sufficient food once a year. It is the only special program requiring them to show their identification.

“In recent years, we provided about 2.5 million pounds of fresh produce through the support from grower partners; it’s equivalent to 62 tractor-trailers’ load capacity,” said Jennifer Hannah, FBNA outreach coordinator.

Competition and Cooperation with Arkansas Foodbank

As the distribution center, FBNA works with more than 100 organizations, including the Arkansas Foodbank, which located in Little Rock.

The Arkansas Foodbank started in January 1984, and it is the foundation in the fight against hunger. It forms an important food hub with FBNA for providing fresh food supplies to nearly 34,000 people in 12 counties.

These organizations feature the same programs, such as food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters for homeless people.

Compared with FBNA, the Arkansas Foodbank can access other partner organizations in big cities such as Houston, Texas because of its central location.

“Both of our food banks play a special role as warehousing and distribution facility, and it is more in the sense of complements rather than competes,” FBNA Compliance and Facilities manager Jeff Fielder said.

However, there is a program unique to the Arkansas Foodbank — it has a partnership with the Arkansas Rice Depot.

Rice farmers in Arkansas realized they had a surplus crop and many hungry neighbors in 1982. They tried to improve the lives of hungry Arkansans with the establishment of Arkansas Rice Depot.

Arkansas Foodbank depends on the food source of Rice Depot, and the Rice Depot needs the food bank as a shipment center to help it transport food to other places.

The food bank constantly is looking for better and more efficient ways to deliver much-needed food to people. It is a vital organization to help solve the food shortage and security problems of the homeless.