Click to listen to our interview Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie as she talks to us about SELAH 2020
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first woman elected to this position in the denomination’s 233-year history, and presiding prelate of more than 200 churches in Texas, has joined forces with Minnie’s Food Pantry, to feed the growing number of North Texas families facing food insecurity. Bishop McKenzie will host a virtual edition of her annual leadership conference, SELAH: The Main Event, on November 20-21, 2020. The event is open to the public and forty percent of registration will go to Minnie’s Food Pantry. Attendees can register at bit.ly/SelahMainEvent.
Named one of the top eleven conferences for women who want to level up by Essence Magazine, Selah is a place for leaders to reset, refresh, and recalibrate. This year’s line-up includes power-packed speakers and performers, including Grammy-award winning recording artist, Marvin Sapp; author, Minda Harts; master entrepreneur, Gloria Mayfield Banks; author, Rev. Dr. Cecelia Williams-Bryant, preacher and author, including her newest book, “Together: A Biblical Meditation and Guide to Enrich Covenant Marriage”; Nicole Fortune, National Manager, Customer Relations Toyota Lexus Financial; Rev. Dr. Danielle Brown, pastor of church life at Cathedral International; Nicole Roberts Jones, nationally recognized transformational speaker and bankroll your brilliance expert; and Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie.
“There are thousands of families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of them have food security issues for the first time in their lives,” said Bishop Vashti McKenzie. “We felt compelled to support Chery Jackson and Minnie’s Food Pantry to help her help hurting families. We invite our Selah women and the Dallas Metroplex to join us.”
Each year, SELAH partners with an organization to make an impact in the community. This year, they are partnering with Minnie’s Food Pantry to feed families for the holidays. With the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, job loss and unemployment at an all-time high, the number of North Texas families facing food insecurity has increased by nearly 60% since this time last year.
“From March until June of 2020, more than 1.9 billion meals were distributed nationwide to people facing hunger. Minnie’s Food Pantry has distributed 3 million meals since March and food pantries are giving out 60 percent more food than an average month,” said Cheryl Jackson, CEO and founder of Minnie’s Food Pantry. “The need is greater than ever and generosity of neighbors all across the country is a necessity to keep up with this demand.”
CELEBRITIES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY COME TO DALLAS TO HELP MINNIE’S FOOD PANTRY FEED 2,500 HUNGRY FAMILIES IN NORTH TEXAS
On Saturday, November 17, 2018 from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m., celebrities from all over the country will come to Dallas to help Minnie’s Food Pantry serve more than 2,500 hungry families in North Texas. For the 10th year in a row, Minnie’s Food Pantry, located at 3033 W Parker Rd #116, Plano, TX 75023, will give families a complete Thanksgiving meal, including a turkey and all the trimmings, while rolling out the red carpet for families who need food.
More than 575 volunteers will come together to serve, including many local and national celebrities and influencers including, R&B singer, Angie Stone; former NFL player, Omar Stoutmire and his wife, Sheila; Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks; former MLB center and right fielder, Torii Hunter; Dallas Cowboys legend, Tony Dorsett and his wife Janet; Dallas radio personality, Dede McGuire; NFL Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith and his wife, Pat; and Matt Kemp, MLB outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dallas Mavericks dancers will also be on hand to cheer on the staff and volunteers.“Many families have fallen on difficult times,” said Cheryl “Action” Jackson, founder of Minnie’s Food Pantry. “Some people have lost jobs, some have had their salaries cut, and some are just having difficulty making ends meet.”
At Minnie’s Food Pantry, we are honored to be able to respond to their needs and make the holidays a little brighter.”Sponsors for Minnie’s Food Pantry Thanksgiving giveaway include Albertsons, Tom Thumb, Green Mountain Energy, Cawley Partners, USAA and Dilla’s Quesadillas. Minnie’s Food Pantry also partnered with the Veteran’s Administration and served more than 250 veterans and their families this Thanksgiving season. “My father was a Marine, so it meant a lot to me to serve veterans and listen to their stories of service while we walked them to their cars,” said Jackson. One of the veterans served called his mother and said, “Mom, you don’t have to worry about Thanksgiving. I just got us a turkey and all the trimmings. Everything is going to be ok.” Founded by Dr. Cheryl “Action” Jackson, Minnie’s Food Pantry has literally been rolling out the red carpet for more than 10 years as they provide food for families living in low income, food insecure households.
An award-winning non-profit organization and largest food pantry in Collin County, Texas, Minnie’s Food Pantry has provided more than 8.5 million meals and brought the issue of food insecurity to the forefront on both a local and national level through features on national television shows including, Good Morning America, ELLEN, Steve Harvey TV and The Food Network. Through supplemental food assistance, educational resources and support from the community, Minnie’s Food Pantry has changed the stigma associated with hunger and are further reducing hunger by expanding into schools across the country.
Over the years, many corporate sponsors and celebrities have joined Minnie’s Food Pantry in the fight to reduce hunger including former MLB pitcher Latroy and Anita Hawkins, Dallas Mavericks owner and business mogul Mark Cuban, Hollywood actresses Meagan Good and Regina King, movie producers DeVon Franklin and Will Packer, pop superstar Rihanna, actor Jim Parsons, recording artists Kenny Lattimore, Wess Morgan and BeBe Winans and global media icon, Oprah Winfrey.
