SUNFLOWER, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Many elderly residents in the Mississippi Delta are without the financial means to address their aging homes’ inevitable wear and tear. An $8,000 Partnership Grant Program (PGP) award to Delta Grace will help resolve some of the area’s most dire cases. The nonprofit, faith-based organization matches mission teams with people in need of home repairs and hosted 25 teams of 377 mission workers and worked on 47 projects this year alone.
Delta Grace received the PGP funds from Planters Bank & Trust and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). Representatives from the banks on Friday awarded the PGP funds to Delta Grace, which Executive Director Veronica Pritchard said will help the area’s most vulnerable residents.
“Of the more than 350 homeowner applications we currently have on file, 35 percent of them need total roof replacement,” said Ms. Pritchard. “This grant allows us to replace roofs on three to five homes.”
Planters Bank & Trust CEO Jimmy Clayton told Ms. Pritchard about the grant program when she was a guest speaker at a luncheon.
“Persistent poverty shapes daily life in the Mississippi Delta, which leads to critical needs for outside assistance,” said Mr. Clayton. “Programs such as the PGP provide a lifeline to a community that so desperately needs it.”
FHLB Dallas has awarded $300,000 in PGP funds this year through 31 member institutions to assist 32 community-based organizations. Combined with the $114,010 contributed by FHLB Dallas members, a total of $414,010 has been awarded to the organizations.
“The benefits of the Partnership Grant Program are two-fold,” said Melanie Dill, community and economic development product manager at FHLB Dallas. “The community benefits from the organization’s enhanced outreach and our members benefit from the enriched community partnerships.”
Ms. Pritchard said the funds help the organization not only reach more residents, but also help the community in other ways.
“The primary goal of Delta Grace is to bring healing and wholeness to a hurting community by reaching out and bringing together those that are willing to serve with those that are in need,” she said. “Grants like this truly enhance what we are able to accomplish in our communities.”
About Planters Bank & Trust
Planters Bank and Trust Company opened its doors for business in 1920 in Ruleville, Mississippi. In July 1920, the bank had total assets of $268,000. As of December 31, 2017, the bank has $1.02 billion in assets and is headquartered in Indianola, Mississippi.
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $73.7 billion as of September 30, 2018, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community investment by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 825 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit fhlb.com.
