NMHS, HCF & Palmer’s Donate Water to Jackson Residents
TUPELO, Mississippi—Sometimes hope comes in liquid form.
North Mississippi Health Services and the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi recently donated 341 cases of bottled water to The Salvation Army in Jackson for those who don’t have access to clean drinking water.
“We are truly grateful for your support and the impact it will make for Jackson residents,” says Amy Cline, divisional community relations and development director for The Salvation Army’s Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi Division. “Your gift enables us to provide to our community at their point of greatest need. This latest crisis has shown there is a desperate need not only for water, but the hope it brings to our neighbors.”
Through generous donations, HCF purchased three pallets of bottled water at cost from Palmer’s Shopper’s Value Foods in Tupelo. When co-owner Jason Palmer found out what the water was for, the store donated another pallet. “We do sell groceries here,” said co-owner Jason Palmer, “but our main goal is to connect with this community. I’m thankful for this opportunity.” Palmer’s was founded in Tupelo by J.K. Palmer in 1957 and then owned by his son, Buddy Palmer. Jason and his brother, Damon, purchased the store from their father in 2004.
In addition, NMHS employees donated cases of bottled water. “To see this response is incredible,” said Dr. Jeremy Blanchard, NMHS chief medical officer. “This is a reflection of the connection of our community to try to take care of all those within the state of Mississippi who might be in need.”
HCF shipped the water to the Salvation Army’s warehouse in Jackson. From there, the Boy Scouts’ Andrew Jackson Council in Jackson will work with local churches to deliver the bottled water to homes of people who can’t get to the distribution center, either because of transportation issues or because they can’t leave home for medical reasons.
Cline recounts an incident that happened recently in Jackson. “After traveling up one side of the road and getting no response from residents, Lt. Estudiante and his brother were about to leave the neighborhood,” she says. “He remembered a verse about casting your nets on the other side of the boat (John 21:6), so he turned around and drove back down the street. An elderly lady flagged them down and asked if they had water. After they told her they did, she grabbed her cell phone and told the person on the other end, ‘The Salvation Army is here, tell everybody!’ Within minutes, the street was flooded with residents getting water and thanking the team for not forgetting them.”
“It’s not that we’re taking a bunch of water to a place and dropping it off,” Dr. Blanchard says, “it’s that individuals are giving water to help other individuals live in harmony, and that’s What Connected Feels Like.”
