No minuses for Plus-1
A March 24 letter to the editor raised questions about the Plus-1 program and how funds are collected and distributed. Having worked closely with the Metropolitan InterFaith Association and participated in Plus-1, I know that MIFA and Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division ensure that every penny given to Plus-1 goes to help people in need.
The process is simple, but the need is greater than ever.
As the associate pastor for outreach at Idlewild Presbyterian Church, I am deeply concerned about the ways the downturn in the economy affect those who were already struggling and those whose lives were financially stable just a year ago. More and more men with shame in their eyes and mothers desperate to take care of their children are coming to churches and local outreach organizations needing any kind of help we can give. MIFA is one of our church’s greatest resources, and we refer people to MIFA for assistance beyond what the church can provide. The Plus-1 program helps so many more people than any one church can.
Those who participate in Plus-1 send an additional $1 or more to MLGW when they pay their utility bills. Every bit of that money goes to MIFA, which then meets with and screens those in need and uses the money to help people who need assistance. Those people must have experienced a recent, unexpected loss of income, such as a job loss or the death of a spouse. MIFA only assists any person one time in a two-year period.
Every month, MIFA turns away hundreds of people because it lacks funding to help all who need assistance. The generous gifts of so many in the Mid-South enabled MIFA to distribute $196,000 to help people in need in 2008. Plus-1 is a little thing that can make a big difference.
Margaret Burnett
Memphis