'Confusion into clarity': Annual Tupelo Thanksgiving service celebrates good among dark times
Nov. 18—TUPELO — Even though the past two years have been marked with loss, discomfort and sadness, local leaders are still finding opportunities to be thankful.
On Wednesday, City Hall leaders, community officials and nonprofit representatives gathered at the Link Centre in Tupelo for the city's annual Thanksgiving celebration service. It was a moment of reflection during a tumultuous time of disruption and death.
Speakers during the event said there is still plenty for which to be thankful.
"No duty is more urgent than giving thanks," said Dr. Vernon Rayford, the keynote speaker at the service. "Gratitude turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity."
Rayford, an internal medicine physician with North Mississippi Health Services and someone who has been local health care leader during the pandemic, recalled the past two years as ones marred by discord and confusion. And yet, he said there is still light to be found in the darkness.
"Each day is a chance to connect, to communicate, to collaborate, to create and ultimately to celebrate like we are today," Rayford said.
As it had in the past, the service included readings of religious texts, performances by local school groups and remarks by civic leaders.
The event also offered a stark reminder that while many people will gather next week to enjoy a bounty of food with loved ones, there are thousands in the region who don't have access to affordable, nutritious food on a daily basis.
Jason Martin, the executive director of the Hunger Coalition of Northeast Mississippi, recalled a time this past year when a grandmother walked into a food pantry unsure of how to feed her three grandchildren. The woman was on a fixed income, and was struggling to feed the children while their father was in the hospital undergoing treatment for COVID-19.
The pantry was able to provide the woman with food and connect her to other local benefits. There are hundreds of local examples like her, according to Martin.
The pantry was able to provide the woman with food and connect her to other local benefits. There are hundreds of local examples like her, according to Martin.
"I implore you to pay attention over the next few weeks and over the next few months because you will have an opportunity to do something to support people who are hungry," Martin said.
The pandemic erased nearly five years of the hunger coalition's work to reduce hunger and food insecurity in the region, according to Martin.
Before the pandemic, the coalition was able to get Lee County's food insecurity rating down to 16%. Last year, that rating drastically jumped to 20%, meaning one in five people in Lee County did not have access to affordable food. The coalition's projected goal for the next year is around 18%.
Last year, the city canceled the in-person community Thanksgiving event because of the pandemic. Instead, former Mayor Jason Shelton and Price delivered prerecorded remarks to Tupelo citizens.
This year, Mayor Todd Jordan said that it was a nice sign to see a diverse cross-section of the city gather in person to give thanks.
"I just want to say how thankful I am that we can all get together," Jordan said.
