Today we salute the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM) for coordinating a 38126 COVID-19 Response Project event providing 500 families residing in the 38126 zip code with food and other direct resources. Since 2015, this community has been a major focus of the Women’s Foundation Vision 2020 Strategic Plan to reduce poverty and improve the overall economic wellbeing of families living in South City.
Based on the assessments conducted by grantee partners, they identified a great need for basic essentials, “Many of the economic gains made by residents in 38126 in the last few years through the WFGM Vision 2020 Strategic Plan has been lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ruby Bright, President, and CEO, WFGM. “This 38126 COVID-19 Response Project is a way to help the families in 38126 to stay positive and let them know that we are standing with them and supporting them.”
The WFGM team and volunteers distributed food to 500 families, 1,000 household products and personal hygiene packages, and 200 bottles of hand sanitizers.
“We were fortunate also to receive a generous donation of 2,000 face masks from AutoZone for families that were distributed with the hygiene kits,” said Shante K. Avant, Vice President, WFGM. The residents also received packets of information on the COVID-19 virus, testing locations, financial literacy, domestic violence, health and wellness, and employment opportunities.
WFGM partnerships made this project a success. FedEx donated hygiene kits along with Heart to Heart International and International Medical Corps to help Memphis families as part of its FedEx Cares 50 by 50 initiative. The company’s goal is to positively impact 50 million people by the company’s 50th anniversary in 2023. “In times of crisis, we mobilize our network quickly to help the communities where we live and work, and we are proud to be able to do that in our headquarter city,” said Adrian Pomi, director of Global Citizenship, FedEx. “At FedEx, keeping the world connected, in good times and during periods of great need, is who we are and what we do every day.”
“International Paper recognizes that our corrugated boxes are essential for our community organizations, which are casting a wide safety net for those most in need during this pandemic,” said Dynisha Woods, global citizenship coordinator, Community Engagement, International Paper. “We are pleased to mobilize our products to address this community need, and we are proud to support the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis.”
Other partners include the Mid-South Food Bank, Heart to Heart International, Shelby County Schools, Bare Needs Diaper Bank, Urban Strategies, International Medical Corps, RISE Foundation, SCORE South City, Emmanuel Center, and First Baptist, Lauderdale.
ABOUT THE WOMEN’S FOUNDATION FOR A GREATER MEMPHIS For 25 years, the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis has been uniting women and helping break the cycle of poverty through philanthropy, leadership, and collaboration. The mission of the WFGM is to encourage philanthropy and foster leadership among women and support programs that engage women and children to reach their full potential.