RIFA updates donation needs, food distribution strategy

JACKSON, Tenn. — Regional Inter-Faith Association is a mainstay in West Tennessee, providing essential food to those in need with their Soup Kitchen and Bus Stop Cafe since 1976.

But just like every organization in the country, they’ve been affected by the coronavirus.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of RIFA. Unfortunately, we had to scale back. We still need volunteers to do some of the work, but we can only accept eight [volunteers] at a time,” said Lindsay Dawkins, the Marketing and Events Coordinator for RIFA. “We’ve had to change our regular food distribution to just giving out seven day food boxes to our soup kitchen patrons.”

Dawkins says they’ve seen food donations go down, and they need those now more than ever.

“It’s odd when we don’t have green beans or corn, but some of our staple items are even running low,” Dawkins said. “We have seen an increase in our numbers of people coming to our building, needing assistance. A lot of the people that we have seen have been for the first time. They’re not our regular patrons that come to the soup kitchen.”

But RIFA is still trying to help as many people as possible. They’ll be doing their Bus Stop Cafe as long as they can, providing lunches for students throughout Jackson while schools are closed.

Dawkins stressed some simple ways that residents can help out with both food and money donations.

“One easy way to do that is a $30 donation, which will provide a seven day food box to someone who needs food. You can do that via our website at rifajackson.org,” Dawkins said. “Green beans, canned corn, canned proteins, canned fruit, those are some of the basic items were looking for right now.”

If money isn’t an option for you right now, there’s  something even easier which can spread joy.

“Write an encouraging note. Send it to us, and we will put it in one of these boxes or bags of food,” Dawkins said.

Dawkins says the pandemic has caused changes for everyone, but they’re still helping where they’re needed.

“It just looks a little different these days, but our mission is still the same. Our mission is still to reach out with the love of Christ and provide spiritual and physical nourishment to those in need,” Dawkins said.

To mail one of those encouraging notes, the address for RIFA is P.O. Box 2301, Jackson, TN 38302.