RIFA Jackson

The Bus Stop Cafe provided 1,169 Snack Backpacks to children in Jackson during last week's Fall Break! The Bus travels to the most vulnerable areas of Jackson, providing free meals to kids ages 0-18. Thank you to our donors, volunteers, and staff for making this possible!

Thanks, again, to our Canstruction 2024 sponsors! Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, Foundation Bank/MBC. The support of the businesses, organizations, churches, schools, and individuals that partner with us allows us to continue leading and engaging our community in the fight against hunger. Thank you for investing in our mission!

Check out the award-winning structures from Canstruction 2024! Delta Faucet's structure, "Feed the Need," won Best of Show and took home the Frannie Smith Cup for the second year in a row! Photographs of the local competition winners are submitted to the International Competition and compete with over 1,200 other structures from around the world. Best of Show & Best Original Design: Delta Faucet Company's "Feed the Need" Best Use of Labels: Jackson State Community College's "We CAN Do It" Structural Ingenuity: Hitachi Energy Alamo's "Scan and Can" Best Meal: Jackson Madison County School System's "Love Your Neighborbood? Now that Eats!" Most Cans: Gerdau's "Knocking Out Hunger" Spotlight Award: First Methodist - Downtown Jackson, TN's "Hunger Knows No Color" Honorable Mentions: Tennalum's "Gnome More Hunger" and Toyota Tennessee's "Garfield CAN Share!" People's Choice, sponsored by Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical: First Presbyterian Church of Jackson's "FPC CAN Ring the Bells to Relieve Hunger"

We're hiring! If you or someone you know are interested in joining the RIFA team, please complete the form linked below and we'll get back to you with more information about the position you're interested in. https://lnkd.in/gf4qfHrG

In observance of Columbus Day, the RIFA Administrative Offices, Donation Door, and Thrift Store will be closed Monday, October 14th. The Soup Kitchen will be open for regular service times. Regular hours of operation will resume Tuesday, October 15th.

Meet Kevin Engelhardt, RIFA’s Warehouse Associate! Kevin began volunteering at RIFA in January 2024 and came on staff in May. Kevin always has a smile on his?face, and his servant heart is so appreciated by?everyone he?comes in?contact?with. His favorite part about working at RIFA is the RIFA family. He said, "this is an amazing group of people who genuinely care about everyone. I absolutely love the mission we serve and the ability to help so many different people everyday, but the group I have the privilege of working with is my favorite part about working here." Learn more about Kevin! ??His favorite restaurants will always be L.P. Steamers in Baltimore, MD and Broadway Oyster Bar in St. Louis, MO. ??His favorite shows are The Twilight Zone and Forged in Fire, especially?the Wil Willis episodes. ????One of Kevin's favorite memories from traveling was walking in a snow shower in Lyon, France in January. He and his wife visited 3 French cities and 2 Italian cities in 10 days. He woke on his birthday in France and celebrated it in Italy. Next on their list is the Champagne region of France. ??He collects vinyl albums of late-60s/70s rock bands and contemporary jazz. He was able to see Herbie Hancock in concert earlier this year! ??In addition to collecting vinyl records, Kevin is also always on the hunt for early (1939 - 1960s) Dr. Seuss books and the different iterations of Scrabble and the variants of the game Rummikub. ? We’re blessed to have Kevin on the RIFA team!

We'd like to take a moment to thank the teams that participated in Canstruction 2024. These teams put countless hours into the planning, shopping, and building to make their structure a success! Canstruction 2024 featured 2 first-year teams: First Presbyterian Church of Jackson and Hitachi Energy Alamo. Returning teams included Delta Faucet Company, Family Christian School, Fellowship Bible Church, First Methodist - Downtown Jackson, Georgia-Pacific - Dixie Jackson, Gerdau, Jackson Madison County School System, Jackson State Community College, LyondellBasell, Regions Bank, TBDN Tennessee Company, Tennalum, and Toyota Tennessee. Gerdau is the only team that has participated in all 19 years of Canstruction here in Jackson! We are so thankful to these teams for their hard work and dedication to fighting hunger in our community. Your dedication to our mission means so much to us!

Seems like y'all thought Mike Goodwin was pretty funny! Thank you to everyone who joined us for Canstruction 2024. With your support we are able to provide physical and spiritual nourishment to those in need in our community! Special thanks to Foundation Bank/MBC, our Presenting Sponsor, and to Tracye Pulliam, Photography & Weddings for capturing these moments!

Xi Chi Delta members from Freed-Hardeman University volunteered at RIFA! Students served in the RIFA Thrift Store, Community Outreach ministry, donation door, throughout the warehouse, and in the Soup Kitchen. Thanks for serving with us!

We are excited and grateful to share this video that was first presented at our recent Canstruction event! We are so thankful for our patrons who shared from their hearts, and we hope their stories will give you a better idea of the needs that our friends around us face as they deal with hunger and financial limitations. Truly, your donations?make a?difference right here where?we live, work, and worship. This video wouldn't have been possible without the tireless work of VERGENT Marketing and Consulting Group. We are deeply grateful?for their team!