Assisting the homeless getting back on their feet is a priority for several community non-profit agencies. Leadership Lauderdale is no exception.

Leadership Lauderdale, a program of the East Mississippi Business Development Corp., is partnering with Love’s Kitchen to expand services to people in need at Love’s Kitchen, which is known for serving hot meals under director Fannie Johnson. The partnership will help Love’s Kitchen acquire two sets of industrial grade washers and dryers to be housed adjacent to the Love’s Kitchen building.

“The purpose is to allow Fannie to improve upon what she is already doing,” Leadership Lauderdale team member Sara Smith said. “Fannie is helping homeless people find jobs and meet their personal needs. She doesn’t have the financial resources to provide washers and dryers on site.”

The project will include electrical and plumbing work, the appliances themselves, and a detergent supply to meet the initial needs of the community. 

Leadership Lauderdale is requesting donations for the project to be submitted by Feb. 10, 2017. Donations will qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution for a 501 (c) (3) organization. Checks can be made out to East Mississippi Business Development Foundation (EMBDF) referencing Love’s Kitchen, and mailed to P.O. Box 790, Meridian, MS 39302. Call Leadership Lauderdale at 601-693-1306 or email Smith at outreachpr@bellsouth.net for more information. 

“It is important for us to solve issues in the community by working together. No one person has enough resources, time or manpower within themselves to do it all,” Smith said. “It takes a community to solve problems within the community. Helping  the homeless get the services they need to improve their quality of life and eliminate any barriers to present themselves to prospective employers is the goal.”

Smith said tentative plans are for a talent show fundraiser on March 25, but no site has been determined.

Leadership Lauderdale members began working on the project to acquire washers and dryers after a meeting in November with Johnson.

“That meeting was perfect timing because there was a need to be met,” Smith said. “It was on our minds to serve the homeless.”

Johnson said the project is desperately needed.

“To get job interviews, people need clean clothes and a clean body so they are received better by employers and where they can feel better about themselves,” Johnson said. “Can you imagine hiring somebody with dirty clothes on? Our goal is to get them to the point where they have full-time employment. I want people to look at these folks and not be able to tell they’re homeless.”