What West Jackson charity distributed over 15 million pounds of food last year? That would be (a.) The Mississippi Food Network.

The Mississippi Food Network is a nonprofit organization that is located just west of Gallatin Street at 440 W. Beatty Street. When MFN was in its infancy, the organization had 4,000 square feet of space to store & distribute food and household supplies for other nonprofit organizations. The final recipients of these goods would be families in need.  Within their first year, MFN cranked out 139,000 pounds of goods from its small space that consisted of a converted church and an abandoned fire station.

Today, the nonprofit distributes over 15 million pounds of goods from 80,000 square feet of space.  This massive amount of items goes to 320 churches and nonprofit organizations.  MFN’s current service area covers 74 of the 82 counties in the state of Mississippi.

The Mississippi Food Network’s mission is to eliminate poverty-related hunger in their service area.  This effort is made possible through the donation of time from volunteers and the generous contributions of goods and funding from various sources.  MFN has also created programs to address hunger statewide. These programs include a Backpack Program in which children from Stewpot Community Services receive backpacks full of nutrituous foods each week to nourish them over the weekend and a Mobile Pantry to ensure that those in need receive fresh produce.

Right now, the Mississippi Food Network is a contestant in Entergy’s The Power to Care campaign. In the campaign, Entergy is offering a $25,000 grant to the nonprofit organization that receives the most votes (or likes) on Facebook. $25,000 can help to feed a lot of people, so make sure to take a second to visit the Power to Care page and vote for the Mississippi Food Network.

That’s it for today’s WESTerday Trivia. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!