The History of MIFA continued MIFA Moves to 910 Vance In 1984, expansion of the meals program coincided with the loss of the use of the Cook Convention Center facilities for their preparation. The Freeburg firm was asked to find a location for a kitchen. What they found was a building with kitchen facilities, warehouse space for the Food Bank and room for program administration. This building at 910 Vance, the former home of Robilio's Restaurant and Grocery, met MIFA's needs and the board decided to acquire it. That year MIFA moved to its first permanent home, which was purchased by virtue of a first-time-ever loan granted by the Memphis Plough Community Foundation. The original note was for $110,000, more money than MIFA could arrange to borrow for the short term. John Fockler, Executive Director of the Memphis Plough Community Foundation, mentions some factors that lead to the fund's decision to extend such a loan: MIFA needed the money to be able to move, and had a short-term cash bind. The Foundation was unable to grant that large a sum, and Fockler says MIFA did not actually need such a grant. What was needed was a loan, so they made what he calls a Program Related Investment to use money that would normally be invested in charitable programs to enable MIFA to do its work. “Our board has always felt strongly in favor of what MIFA is doing,” he adds. The original plan was that MIFA would make no payments of interest for the first three years, when other debts would have to be paid. What the fund actually did was to forgive the interest, which amounted to $9,900 on each of three successive years, when it became due. After the end of the first three years, MIFA began to repay the loan, which is now being paid out. This is the only Program Related Investment the Plough Foundation has ever made. Speaking of MIFA further, Fockler says its achievements are directly the result of having Gid Smith as its head. He refers to Smith as “a non-profit entrepreneur, who finds new ways of undertaking Next: MIFA Responds to Emerging Needs