Stronger Together – Community Outreach Recap
August 2026
So much is happening across Tupelo and Lee County!
Our August Community Outreach meeting was filled with new faces, new partnerships, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and organizations working together to make a difference. With a room full of community leaders and nonprofit partners, the message was clear: when we share resources and connect people to one another, our entire community becomes stronger.
Sorry I'm a little late getting the update out. I thought I'd try a new format. Let me know what you think!
📚 A New Community Resource Guide
The Daily Journal, in partnership with the CREATE Foundation, recently published the Help and Hope Guide, a community resource guide highlighting about 150 nonprofit organizations and services available throughout Lee County.
More than 7,500 copies have already been distributed, with thousands more available. Community organizations, churches, schools, healthcare providers, first responders, and other agencies are encouraged to help distribute copies to individuals and families who may need assistance.
The guide is also available online, and organizations that are not yet included can submit their information. https://helpandhopeguide.com/
🏠 Building Stronger Disaster Response
The CREATE Foundation is working with FEMA, MEMA, and the Lutheran Disaster Response to establish Long-Term Recovery Councils across all 17 counties in its service area.
Following Winter Storm Fern, community partners recognized the need for a more coordinated approach to long-term disaster recovery. Training is being planned for those interested in establishing or participating in these councils.
The Northeast Healthcare Coalition (NEHCC) and Tupelo Hazmat Team will host a Decontamination Exercise Drill & Training on October 9 at 1:00 p.m. at Huntington Bank Arena in Tupelo.
This hands-on emergency preparedness training is open to the public and is designed to help community members better understand decontamination procedures and emergency response following chemical exposure or spills.
Registration is required by October 5, and space is limited. A prerequisite tabletop exercise will be held August 20 from 1–3 p.m. at the Union County Historic Museum in New Albany.
❤️ Volunteers Needed
The American Red Cross shared an urgent need for volunteers. The organization responded to four home fires in Tupelo during July alone and six home fires during one recent weekend.
Because approximately 90% of the Red Cross workforce is made up of volunteers, there is a tremendous need for people willing to respond to neighbors during some of their most difficult moments.
Want to help? Connect with the American Red Cross to learn about upcoming volunteer training opportunities.
🍎 Fighting Hunger in Our Community
Local food programs continue to see increased demand.
The Weekend Backpack Program is preparing to provide 840 food items to 35 students at Fillmore, a significant increase from previous years.
The Hunger Coalition and St. Luke Food Pantry also reported a 5.5% increase in food distribution during the first six months of the year compared with the same period last year. During that time, they distributed 13,690 food boxes to 5,340 households, reaching 11,693 people.
The organizations are looking for:
- Corporate partners and volunteer groups
- Local farmers willing to donate fresh produce
- Volunteers to help with food distribution
- Assistance identifying and verifying community blessing boxes
👟 Serving Our Most Vulnerable Neighbors
Community partners continue to work together to address homelessness, healthcare, mental health, and human trafficking.
The Tupelo Homeless Task Force is expanding outreach efforts to connect directly with individuals experiencing homelessness and address mental health needs. The group is also bringing together community partners to better understand the connection between homelessness and human trafficking and determine how agencies can respond when someone is believed to be at risk.
Good Samaritan Health Services is continuing to provide healthcare to uninsured residents, including college students, people in training programs, and working adults without insurance. A special foot-care outreach event was also held to serve individuals experiencing homelessness who often walk significant distances and may have unmet healthcare needs.
The Center for Violence Prevention is providing rapid-response services to human trafficking victims throughout Northeast Mississippi and is also offering human trafficking awareness and required training for cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians, and nail technicians.
🧒 Supporting Tupelo's Children
Our community continues to invest in local children's health, safety, and future.
Tupelo Parks & Recreation reported a record 98 participants in this year's Challengers League softball program. Volunteer positions have already been filled, but community members are encouraged to come out and support the players at their September games.
The department also announced Touch-a-Truck on September 12 at Veterans Park, where children can explore emergency and community service vehicles and meet the people who help keep our community safe. A sensory-friendly hour will be held from 9–10 a.m.
The Committee for King is also planning a youth connection event on September 12 at Theron Nichols Park, featuring an ice cream social and pickleball. The goal is to give young people opportunities to build relationships with trusted adults and community members.
🏡 Building Homes & Opportunities
Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Mississippi is looking for volunteers to help build affordable homes and is also seeking additional land and lots in Tupelo and Lee County.
Tupelo Children's Mansion is preparing to open its new JET Center, a therapy facility offering speech, occupational and physical therapy, along with new brain-mapping technology. The organization also received a Homeland Security grant to improve safety and security.
Regional Rehab Center reminded the community that it provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy, dyslexia services, and early intervention services at no cost to clients.
🎉 What's Happening Around Town?
There are plenty of ways to get involved this fall!
Mark your calendars:
- August 22: Yogi Bear at the Natchez Trace Parkway
- August 26: Dine to Donate at Texas Roadhouse for Tupelo-Lee Humane Society
- August 27: Tupelo Family Feud
- September 12: Touch-a-Truck at Veterans Park
- September 12: 9/11 Stair Climb
- September 12: Committee for King youth event at Theron Nichols Park
- September 22: Health Alliance/United Way Summit
- September 26: Recovery at the Park
- October 1: Friend of God Ministries annual fundraising banquet
- October 9: Decontamination Exercise Drill
- November: Catch Kids' 11th Annual Tanglefoot Trot
- January21: Ignite
The Natchez Trace Parkway is also continuing its family-friendly outdoor movie series every other Saturday evening through October, along with educational field trips and other activities.
And don't forget to submit your organization's events to the Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau community calendar so they can help share what's happening across our community.
SEE MORE EVENTS BELOW!
🎤 Community Development Foundation Announces Ignite 2027 Speakers
The Community Development Foundation (CDF) has announced the speaker lineup for Ignite 2027, marking the 10th anniversary of Tupelo’s leadership conference.
This year’s conference will feature internationally renowned leadership expert John Maxwell as the keynote speaker, joined by Valorie Burton and Mark Cole of Maxwell Leadership.
Early-bird tickets are available now through October. CDF will also host two full young-professional programs and a community Q&A event in September.
📅 Ignite 2027
🎤 Keynote: John Maxwell
🌟 Featured Speakers: Valorie Burton & Mark Cole
🎟️ Early-bird tickets: Available through October
Tickets and event details: igniteleadership.com
🌽 Farmers Market at The Depot
4 HOURS OF FRESH!
The 2026 Farmers Market at The Depot is open for the season! Every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to noon, shoppers can visit Downtown Tupelo to find locally grown, produced, and made goods.
As a Mississippi Certified Farmers Market, the market follows official state guidelines, with fresh, locally grown produce remaining the top priority when reviewing vendor applications. It's a great way to support local farmers, makers, and producers while enjoying the best of what our community has to offer.
📅 Saturdays | May 16–October 2026
⏰ 8:00 a.m.–Noon
📍 The Depot | 208 N. Front Street | Downtown Tupelo
Come shop local, support local, and enjoy 4 HOURS OF FRESH!
🤝 We Need Each Other
One of this group's greatest strengths is the willingness to step up when a need is identified.
Community Outreach is working on a quick-reference resource list for first responders so they can quickly connect residents with the appropriate agency when they encounter someone in need.
We are also gathering brochures and information from local organizations to create resource packets that first responders can keep and distribute when appropriate.
In addition, community partners are exploring simple, practical ways to help residents with immediate needs—such as lawn care, minor yard maintenance, and small home repairs—before those challenges become larger problems.
If your organization can help with these efforts, please reach out.
📣 Keep Us in the Loop!
Have an upcoming event? Need volunteers? Looking for donations? Do you have a community need or resource to share?
Send it our way!
You don't have to wait until the monthly meeting. We are happy to help connect organizations with volunteers, resources, and one another throughout the month.
The more we know about what's happening across our community, the better we can connect people to the help they need.
💙 Together, we're building a stronger Tupelo.
Thank you to everyone who continues to show up, share resources, volunteer, serve, and find ways to make our community better.
We are truly stronger together.
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