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In celebratory recognition of MLK Day 2016, The Mississippi Sustainable Agriculture Network, The Mississippi Delta Service Corps of AmeriCorps* VISTA, and collaborating partners will engage local Oxonians of all backgrounds with a community potluck on January 18, 2015, from 1-5pm at The Boy’s & Girl’s Club of Oxford. Aligning itself with social justice and community engagement, The Mississippi Sustainable Agriculture Network supports healthy farms and communities to develop economically and ecologically responsible local food systems throughout Mississippi. From the standpoint of national service, AmeriCorps* VISTA supports community efforts to overcome poverty through a myriad of practices and community-led agencies.
Through the fellowship of a diverse Oxford community and a forum to discuss the cultural and economic values in Lafayette County, The Beloved Community Potluck will add momentum to existing conversations around shifting systemic poverty in Lafayette County and will host local speakers to facilitate robust discussions. The potluck will also feature resource tables to community members such as The Affordable Care Act (ACA), SNAP/TANF Benefits, and The American Heart Association to name a few. Prior to the event, The Mississippi Sustainable Agriculture Network will partner with Volunteer Oxford and The North Mississippi VISTA Project to conduct a city-wide non-perishable canned-food drive, with drop off locations at CVS, Larson’s Cash Saver, Kroger, and Wal-Mart. The Mississippi Sustainable Agriculture Network will also visit local farms and accept local, fresh, and sustainably-grown produce to also be donated to community members in need, as well as two of Oxford’s local food Pantries, Love Packs and The Pantry.
Donations prior to the event can be dropped off at 68 CR 334 and contact Jeffery Peavy at 601-248-3791 (peavyjeffery@gmail.com) and Shannon Curtis at 540.487.8677 (se.curtis9@gmail.com) with questions or for more information.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, is the federal agency that leads the annual MLK Day of Service, working with the King Center in Atlanta and thousands of nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations, schools, and businesses nationwide. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.
For more information about the AmeriCorps*VISTA program in your local area, please visit the website at www.cns.gov or contact Lakisha Butler at the Center for Community and Economic Development/Delta State University at 662-846-4358. 
