Press Kit

Press Kit

Table of Contents
Introduction

About RIFA

Ministries

Logos

Statistics

Social Media

In the News

Testimonials

Contact Information

Introduction
Thank you for your interest in Regional Inter-Faith Association (RIFA). This
press kit includes key information about RIFAs mission, ministries, media
coverage, and the community we serve.
Our online press room contains additional web-only features such as logo
files, a photo gallery, video features, our identity kit, and additional
information about RIFA.
Please direct all questions and media inquires to:
Lindsay Dawkins, Communications Coordinator
731.427.7963
ldawkins@rifajackson.org

Press Kit

About RIFA
RIFA is a Christian nonprofit organization that feeds, clothes and trains people
in need by combining life-changing resources from area churches, businesses
and individuals to show Christs love in action every day of the year.

Mission
To reach out with the love of Christ to help people in need and to provide
resources for a better future.

Key Verse
Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and
blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread
and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. Luke 9:16

Vision
To meet needs in our community and empower individuals to prepare for the
future.

Our Story
In 1976, local churches and community leaders came together to discuss the
growing poverty levels in Jackson, Tennessee. The common problem: each
individual church and civic organization did not have the resources to
effectively provide relief for those in need. To coordinate a united effort they
formed a separate agency to help: the Regional Inter-Faith Association
(RIFA).
RIFA began with food drives in church parking lots and has since expanded to
include a wide range of community services. The Soup Kitchen serves hot
food to 175 people a day. The Thrift Store provides household items, clothing
and furniture at affordable prices. The Snack Backpack Program feeds
children who may not otherwise have meals outside of school. The Food Bank
allows other nonprofit groups to provide for those in Madison County and
seven surrounding counties.
In the fall of 2012, RIFA moved from its location on North Highland Avenue to
new facilities at 133 Airways Boulevard. This new building is an updated and
more efficient space to better serve those in need in Jackson-Madison County
and seven surrounding counties.

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Ministries
These descriptions communicate each ministrys purpose and help us
communicate our ministries to the community.

Ministries

One-Line Description
Reaching Out

Soup Kitchen

Serves a hot meal for lunch daily and

two evenings meals each week to the
hungry in our community

Relief Services

Provides a safety net for individuals

and families experiencing an
unavoidable crisis.

Snack Backpack

Provides kid-friendly, easy-to-prepare,

nutritious food to school children who
have little or no food over the
weekends.

Food Bank

Distributes food to other local

nonprofit agencies in Madison County
and seen surrounding counties.

Lifting Up
Thrift Store

Provides gently-used, donated

clothing, furniture and household items
at a low cost to the community.

The ROAR Project

CUB
LION
Summer ROAR

Invests in the lives of children through

after school tutoring and mentoring to
help them become positive builders in
their community.

CUB (Call Us Builders)

Focuses on character building and

academic development for elementary
students.

LION (Leaders In Our Neighborhood)

Focuses on leadership development for

middle school students.

Summer ROAR

Ministers to children in a day camp

setting filled with Christ-centered
activities.

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Logos
Our updated logo was redesigned and implemented in 2010. It features the
acronym RIFA and our tagline Reaching Out in bold letters, and Lifting
Up in italics, which matches the I in RIFA.
Our Identity Kit, which outlines the proper usage of our logo, is available on
our website. The official RIFA logo files are available on our website.

Statistics
In 2014, RIFA:
Served 65,113 hot meals in the Soup Kitchen to the disabled, the elderly, the
homeless, the working and non-working poor in our community.
Provided 22,807 Snack Backpacks (which include 6 meals) to school
children who have little or no food over the weekend.
Invested in the lives of approximately 30 children in the ROAR project and
Summer Club ministries.
Distributed over 140,000 pounds of food to other hunger-fighting nonprofit
agencies in 7 counties in West Tennessee through our Food Bank.
Impacted 4,889 individuals and their families through Relief Services by
providing rent, utility, thrift store vouchers, hygiene, laundry, shower and
emergency food assistance.
Net proceeds from the Thrift Store provided 25% of the overall budget to
help fund our various ministries.

Social Media
Click on the links below to visit our social media pages:
www.facebook.com/rifajackson
www.twitter.com/rifajackson

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In the News
For a complete listing of press coverage, please visit our website. Here are
some previews of recent event coverage from The Jackson Sun and WBBJ.

The Jackson Sun: Canstruction

supports food bank through
contest by Katherine Burgess,

WBBJ: RIFA hosts families for

Help Portraits, by Jordan Hall,
12.6.2014

The Jackson Sun: Volunteers

serve Christmas lunch at RIFA
by Nick McFerron, 12.25.2014

The Jackson Sun: Everything is

from our faith, says Kay
Robertson by Katherine
Burgess, 9.21.2014

Press releases are also available on our website.

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Testimonials
Visit our website for a complete library of video testimonials.
In the soup kitchen, it's wonderful to see how God provides for the meals.
We'll be almost out of something, then it will literally walk through the door
just when you need it. - Cheryl Jobe, RIFA volunteer
We serve food [in the Soup Kitchen] out of obedience to God, but really
we're about telling people about Jesus, we're about showing people Jesus by
the love, care and concern we show when they come through the door.
People are what really matter." - Dan Ward, volunteer coordinator
Anything you donate to RIFA goes to local people. And that's the main thing
-- that you can see [your donations] in action and know that these people
that you come in contact with are being helped. - Cheryl Thomas, thrift store
manager

Video links
RIFA Snack Backpack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8YdrTnQzLE
RIFA Thrift Store: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwhqVPCwiw8
RIFA Soup Kitchen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTAKlokN-RA
Official RIFA video (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=2GFrCeIWkTw
RIFA YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/
UC9iGGfGBchEhu3hDOMTl7sQ

Contact Information
For media inquires and interviews with RIFA staff, please contact:
Lindsay Dawkins, Communications Coordinator
731.427.7963
ldawkins@rifajackson.org
Visit our website for more information about RIFA:
www.rifajackson.org