AJFC Community Action Agency, Inc. will mark 40 years of service to the southwest Mississippi community by hosting a poverty dialogue. The event is part of the National Community Action Month, a nationwide occurrence held annually in May.

The poverty dialogue will be today at the Alcorn State University Natchez campus. There will be panelists in the areas of education, economic development, health, housing, public policy and service delivery. Lunch will be served at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

The Community Action Partnership designates May as National Community Action Month to recognize success stories. National Community Action Month also calls attention to poverty-related problems and the initiatives Community Action Agencies implement to address them. These initiatives are highlighted in Rooting out Poverty: a campaign by America’s Community Action Network, a new campaign that seeks to reach, educate and inform every American about the fact that the current extent of poverty is intolerable and correctable.

“With foreclosures, rising housing prices and other economic concerns, more and more people are worried about their financial futures, and the amount of families experiencing economic insecurity is increasing,” said Don Mathis, president and CEO of the Community Action Partnership. “In launching the Rooting out Poverty campaign, we have drawn on the experiences and proven techniques of Community Action Agencies like AJFC that are in the trenches fighting poverty on the local level. These agencies have seen what works, what doesn’t and have used this knowledge to develop solutions and strategies to help low-income families achieve economic security. We want to see these strategies serve as models for implementation on the national level.”

AJFC operates Head Start centers in Adams, Amite, Jefferson and Wilkinson counties. Other programs operated by AJFC are Community Services Block Grant, Emergency Food and Shelter, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Affordable Housing in Adams, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Jefferson, Lawrence and Lincoln counties. AJFC is governed by a 21-member board of directors who represent the public, private and poor sectors of Adams, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Jefferson, Lawrence and Lincoln counties. Each county is represented by three members.

Since its beginning, AJFC Community Action Agency, Inc., has operated more than 50 programs and administered more than $100,000,000 serving thousands of clients in Southwest Mississippi. Many of these clients have become economically self-sufficient, thus making southwest Mississippi a greater community.

Royal Hill works at AJFC Community Action Agency.