The Foundation for the Mid South awarded $550,000 to 11 organizations to address child care, transportation and training barriers that limit employment in the Mississippi Delta, the foundation said.
The grants will fund organizations including 180 Career Center, The Bean Path, Delta Compass, Dream Innovations Inc., Deep South Today, Holmes County Consolidated School District, Humphreys County School District, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, Metro Booming Training Academy, the Reuben V. Anderson Center for Justice and Sipp Culture, the foundation said.
Tamika Green, a 41-year-old Army veteran, said training at Mississippi Delta Community College helped her move from a nearly decade-long job at the Cleveland Post Office to new work that fits her family life. Green said her mother found a Facebook post about the college’s programs and she took carpentry, electrical and plumbing classes. “I’ve saved a lot of money because I can fix things myself rather than having to hire somebody,” she said.
Celestial Gordon-Griffin, program director of the Harvesting Hope program at the Reuben V. Anderson Center for Justice, said the program trains single mothers — many formerly incarcerated — in farming, job skills and financial literacy, and provides a child care stipend. “You’re learning how to farm, what to farm, what to plant, what time of the year to plant,” she said. The program began with 10 women who will receive a credential as Certified Sustainable Agricultural Practitioners, and Julian Miller, co-founder and director emeritus of the center, said the goal is to scale over time.
Employers and workforce officials said child care and transportation remain persistent obstacles. “At this time, transportation and childcare remain significant barriers for many of our employees,” Iris Stacker, chief executive officer of Delta Health System, said. “Limited public transportation options, long commute distances, and a shortage of affordable, reliable child care make it difficult for some employees to consistently report to work or take on additional shifts.” Mitzi Woods, workforce director for South Delta Planning and Development District, said recent federal cuts have worsened the child care crisis and urged families to seek help through the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The department reports child care tuition can be as much as 13% of a dual-income family’s budget, and often double for single-income families, and it said eligible families can apply for the Child Care Payment Program online and by phone at 800-877-7882.
Transportation groups also are stepping in. Doris Green, regional mobility manager for Delta Rides Regional Transportation Group, said the nonprofit network provides bus routes and curb-to-curb vans with a mileage-based fee and occasional free rides on a case-by-case basis, and services counties across the Delta. Dr. Pam Chatman, who leads Boss Lady Economic Planning & Development Workforce Transportation, said her FedEx and Delta Bus Lines partnership has connected workers in Clarksdale to a FedEx hub in Memphis and has helped thousands of families, with funding from the Foundation for the Mid South. Workforce resources include WIN Job Centers and MSPathfinder, and Mississippi Today will host a free workforce expo March 5 at Jackson Medical Mall, organizers said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
