July 31-August 6, 2020, Vol. 13, Issue 31 Amazon hiring more than 500 full-time workers for new Scientists at UTHSC get $2.4 million grant to study fulfillment center in Olive Branch, Mississippi P. 3 connection between cholesterol and dementia P. 5 FORMERLY THE MEMPHIS NEWS FAYETTE • TIPTON • MADISON MIFA employee Craig Woods transports Meals on Wheels commodities in Downtown Memphis on July 27, 2020. (Ziggy Mack/The West Tennessee News) WHEELS STILL ROLLING Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association continues to serve despite coronavirus pandemic P. 2 CHRIS HOPE FOUNDATION GOING VIRTUAL Chris Hope Foundation St. Jude Memphis Marathon helping families with children going virtual for 2020 due to facing life-threatening coronavirus pandemic P. 4 illnesses P.3 A Publication of The Daily News Publishing Co. 2 July 31-August 6, 2020 The West Tennessee News Despite pandemic, wheels still rolling at MIFA back Anna Kathryn Word, who had served as corporate development officer at MIFA from 2007-2011, as chief development officer. “When I left, I was crying when I sub- mitted my resignation, but I knew I needed more experience and to gain more skills,” Word said. “It’s like coming home to me. It was very easy to imagine coming back to MIFA.” Word said donors have stepped up and responded to MIFA’s needs, realizing the important services it provides. The pan- demic “brought it all to the surface.” “It was very clear that families needed help, and they needed help immediately,” Word said. “I think having such a long- standing, successful history in Memphis and a committed and supportive donor base put us in a good spot.” Donations go a long way with MIFA. A $15 donation can provide a week of meals for one senior, and $250 could cover a week of paid shelter for a homeless family await- ing permanent housing While donors have been loyal and sup- portive, Word said the need is still there, noting that as the moratoriums on utility cutoffs and evictions expire, more families will require MIFA’s services. Word and the MIFA team are working to engage the community and donors in ways that are conducive to the current en- vironment. It will host its first virtual event on Oct. 7, featuring Matthew Desmond, author of “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.”“We’re really working to continue this conversation of homeless- ness, which has become more and more Trinity Christian Church volunteers Buddy Echols (left) and Tim Ackers pick up meals to distribute to communites at MIFA in Downtown critical now,” Word said. “We want to build Memphis on July 27, 2020. (Ziggy Mack/The West Tennessee News) a community conversation around these issues and try to engage our supporters and engage the community around these CHRISTIN YATES supplied our volunteers, and they started The West Tennessee News helping us out.” With its staff, volunteers — most of Since March, MIFA has delivered 32,795 whom are seniors — and clients all at a hot meals; 29,398 shelf-stable meals (that higher risk of contracting COVID-19, MIFA can be safely stored at room temperature) knew it had to change the way it operates and 55,258 frozen meals to thousands of significantly to continue its mission of clients in their homes. At its congregate uniting the Memphis community through sites, it has provided 39,745 shelf-stable service. meals and 18,820 frozen meals to clients Since the pandemic began in March, through new contactless delivery methods. Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association Arthur Martin has been volunteering (MIFA) has had to make daily decisions with MIFA since retiring from the Air Force and changes to continue providing meals several years ago. Throughout that time, he through its Meals on Wheels program and has built relationships with those on his other vital services. delivery routes and said his visits are more The organization developed three key important now than ever before. objectives: continue to serve seniors in a “You can go without a lot of different safe manner, limit contact with volunteers things, but food is not one of them,” Mar- and deliver extra food to those seniors. tin said. “We have good conversation for “I think what we’re finding is that even a minute or two. I bring them meals, but I in difficulty, there are some silver linings, uplift their spirits, also.”While he is wearing and we’re finding some ways we can do a mask and practicing other social-distanc- things better and ways we can serve more,” ing protocols, his clients welcome his visits. said Sally Heinz, president and CEO. MIFA At times, he may be the only person his cli- reduced its delivery schedule from five days ents see in a day.In addition to changes to per week to three. It currently makes deliv- Meals on Wheels, MIFA has been taking all eries Mondays-Wednesdays, but provides family services applications online rather New MIFA Chief Development Officer (CDO) Anna Kathryn Word is seen in front of MIFA in extra frozen or shelf-stable meals for the than in-person. Since March, it has received Downtown Memphis on July 27, 2020. (Ziggy Mack/The West Tennessee News) days it is not delivering. 3,341 applications for emergency financial It also had to reevaluate its volunteer assistance with 80% of the requests citing bigger cracks in our system. It’s even more base, since many people were adhering COVID-19 as the reason for applying. important for MIFA to do what we’re sup- issues.”Participants can register for the vir- to safer-at-home guidelines and were no “The pandemic has really revealed the posed to do and serve the people who we tual event here.“I think the opportunity to longer comfortable donating their time. unmet need in our community and the need to serve.”Heinz knew she needed to engage with our donors in new ways is ex- “The City of Memphis stepped up,” inequity in our community,” Heinz said. assemble the strongest team possible to citing,” Heinz said. “We remain very hopeful Heinz said. “The Memphis Library System “The pandemic has certainly exposed even ensure needs were being met. She brought at MIFA for the future.” The West Tennessee News July 31-August 6, 2020 3 Chris Hope Foundation will help house families of seriously ill children CHRISTIN YATES Hope supported the Howard The West Tennessee News family in many ways, including Cindy Howard used to tell her awarding Chandler with the first Girl Scout troop not to underes- Chris Hope Foundation scholar- timate the difference one person ship; he is now going into his ju- can make. No one understands nior year at Ole Miss. this sentiment better than Chris “The scholarship was really Hope, who started the Chris Hope huge,” Howard said. “Chris has Foundation (CHF) to help families been very supportive to Chandler with children facing life-threaten- … He came to my son’s gradua- ing illnesses. tion. He always shows up.” Hope, a UPS employee for The idea for CHF began after more than 30 years, started the Hope gave a gift to a mother who foundation in 2015, and Howard was facing a difficult financial is just one of many family mem- situation while her child received bers he has supported through treatment at St. Jude. Hope saw the organization. the unmet needs that families Howard and her family moved face during the trying time of to Memphis for her son, Chandler, having a very sick child and de- to receive treatment at St. Jude cided to become a philanthropy Children’s Research Hospital. She entrepreneur. “met” Hope through St. Jude’s so- “Everybody knows about the cial media networks. struggles that the kids have when “We assumed this foundation it comes to cancer, chemotherapy (CHF) had been together forever, and therapy,” Hope said. “Nobody but it was new when we moved to really knows about the other side Memphis in 2015,” Howard said. of pediatric cancer and the every- Chris Hope (right) and Chris Hope Foundation volunteer Traci Sanchez work Saturday, July 25, 2020 to “It’s cool to see how much it has day struggles that these families renovate a North Memphis home for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital family housing. changed and how much good they (Ziggy Mack/The West Tennessee News) are doing for people.” foundation continued on P6 Amazon hiring hundreds in Olive Branch WAYNE RISHER= The West Tennessee News Amazon is hiring more than 500 full- time workers for a new large-item fulfill- ment center at 11505 Progress Way in Ol- ive Branch. The jobs start at $15 an hour and come with comprehensive benefits on the first day. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have a high school degree or equivalent. Employees are needed to pick, pack and ship large items such as sports equipment, patio furniture, fishing rods, pet food, kay- aks, bicycles and larger household goods. Overnight, early morning, day, evening and weekend shifts are available.The center, lo- cated in Legacy Park industrial park south of Olive Branch Airport, will be the fourth Amazon facility to operate in the Memphis area, with two more in the pipeline.Ama- zon’s hiring announcement emphasized what’s being done to protect workers from COVID-19. Amazon, FedEx and other logistics providers have been criticized by labor advocates for not doing enough to protect essential workers from coronavirus, but Bria Berkeley laughs at a coworker’s joke while scanning incoming deliveries at an Amazon delivery station in Memphis Sept.