food&drink
‘Donate A Dish’ Program Feeds Homeless Jacksonians for Easter Wright’s Foundation for Better Communities,
Wright’s Foundation for Better Communities,
by Kyle Hamrick
Volunteers may prepare and donate precooked dishes that organizers will either distribute or deliver. Wright’s Foundation for Better Communities and Stewpot Community Services’
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Wright’s Foundation for Better Communities,
March 3 - 30, 2021 • jfp.ms
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right’s Foundation for Better Communities, better known by its acronym WFBC, is gearing up for its third-annual Donate A Dish event to serve homecooked meals to homeless individuals at Stewpot Community Services’ Opportunity Center from March 24 to 31. Derick Wright founded the nonprofit organization three years ago to “uplift and enhance” the Jackson community. This spring, WFBC plans to serve hot to-go meals to 245 members of Jackson’s homeless community the week before Easter, and asks that each pre-cooked dish be made to serve roughly 35 portions. “We often see nonprofits or groups of people feed homeless people on Thanksgiving or Christmas,” the 28-year-old said, “Nobody really reflects on Easter.” Considering the significance the Easter holiday holds for Christians, in 2018 Wright and his six-member board decided to collect potluck-style dishes from community members and provide for homeless people on a day that few think to do so.
Opportunity Center collaborate to feed the homeless community this Easter. At that first event, Wright and his volunteers served 130 people at the Opportunity Center “restaurant style,” seating Christie Burnett, who has served as patrons to “do the things they need to them at a table, taking their order, and re- director of the Opportunity Center since do,” be that finding steady housing or turning with a plate of hot food. Though 2013, recalled the day Wright walked “out better jobs. “We do not want to see you the COVID-19 pandemic prevented of the blue” into her office three years ago. back on the street,” she says. them from continuing that kind of service, “He shared his vision and what he wanted Wright and Burnett are grateful for WFBC held Donate A Dish last year, pre- to do with his foundation, and we’ve been the partnership their two organizations paring uncooked donations and serving partnering ever since,” Burnett says. have sustained for the past three years. them hot in to-go plates. The Opportunity Center aims to “They always seem to come through This year, Wright says, Donate A Dish provide homeless individuals with as when we need them,” Burnett says of will be a hybrid event. Cooked dishes will many resources for security and success WFBC. Admiring the Opportunity Cenbe stored, reheated, and served in to-go as possible, from computer labs and mail ter’s dedication to improving homeless plates. Depending on the weather, WFBC services, to a vast clothing closet and peoples’ lives, Wright says, “We’re going will either set-up a tent and outdoor tables showers. Burnett encourages the center’s to help them as much as we can.” and distribute meals, or else deliver Just as important as sharing a them directly to those that need it. meal, Wright and Burnett believe Though donating dishes rethat building relationships between mains the focus of the event, Wright neighbors in the same city improves encourages people not to forget about it. “There’s so many opportunities to drinks, plasticware, napkins and tomake Jackson better,” Burnett says, go plates. As for homeless people who “You don’t have to have a degree, you are not at the Opportunity Center, don’t have to have training. You just Wright says, “give us a call and we’ll have to have the heart.” drop food to them, too.” “We all have a dish we want to Motivated by his own experiencpresent, and we all have a heart to help es with homelessness and bankruptcy people in need,” Wright says. at age 22, Wright founded WFBC For information on donations and as a support system for Jacksonians how you can help, contact Derick Wright to turn to when they need help. He at 769-257-0073. Follow WFBC’s page wants WFBC to be “something for on Facebook for updates on this and othpeople to depend on, whatever they er events. For more information on the need, so they can continue to be posi- Donate A Dish gifts should be made to serve Opportunity Center, go to stewpot.org/ tive about life.” services/opportunity-center/. roughly 35 portions.
