Formed in 2012, GreenPoint AG is an agricultural input supplier serving farms and rural businesses throughout the southern U.S. The company employs more than 400 ag professionals whose mission is to enhance the success of their customers and the communities they serve. A shared commitment to service is one of the reasons GreenPoint AG selected CoBank as their lender and why they have participated in the Sharing Success program since 2013.
“GreenPoint AG is a company with a really big heart,” said CEO Tim Witcher. “Our 50 retail stores support youth sports teams, 4-H chapters and volunteer fire departments. But here in our Memphis headquarters, we support the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), and CoBank has matched our contributions for four years through Sharing Success.”
MIFA is a nonprofit organization serving senior citizens and families in crisis throughout Memphis. MIFA was launched by community and religious leaders who came together following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a goal of creating unity across faiths and addressing the pressing social issues of hunger, poverty and racism.
“GreenPoint AG has been a wonderful partner,” said Sally Jones Heinz, MIFA’s president and CEO. “They provide us with $5,000 each year and they doubled that contribution by bringing CoBank to the table. It’s so exciting when someone from outside the community gets involved and wants to support our mission. It’s just remarkable and we are so grateful.”
I can’t put into words how much I appreciate MIFA
Much of the funding from GreenPoint AG and CoBank supports MIFA’s Meals on Wheels program. According to MIFA, a large percentage of Memphis seniors eat fewer than two meals each day. To address this problem, MIFA delivers more than 1,000 nutritious meals each weekday. But MIFA deliveries are about more than just food. The daily visits from MIFA volunteers offer a safety check and relief from isolation for people who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
“I can’t put into words how much I appreciate MIFA,” said 66-year-old Bill Stovall. “I don’t look disabled, but I have diabetes, chronic arthritis and other problems. If I don’t sit down when the pain hits, I’ll fall down. So I don’t get out much. MIFA meals save me $100 a month—money I can use for a tank of gas or a doctor bill. More than that, I really look forward to that friendly face at the door every day.”
“MIFA’s role is to keep people stable and in their homes,” said Heinz. “We’re not a cure for poverty, but a safety net that gives people the breathing space they need to get back on stable ground. We also create a mechanism to unite our community in service. It is so inspiring to see our incredible volunteers showing up every day, rain or shine. That’s part of what makes MIFA so special. It helps us to see that we are all in this together.”
GreenPoint AG’s Witcher agrees. “At GreenPoint AG, we feel that our contributions are relatively small. It’s the staff and volunteers at MIFA who are really making a difference.” “We feel a tremendous connection to MIFA,” continued Witcher.
“There’s a close tie between helping to produce food and helping to provide food to those in need. But there are a lot of communities that need help. That’s why I encourage every CoBank customer to take advantage of Sharing Success. We all need to be supportive of the communities we serve and the CoBank match is a key way to make your contributions go even further. We are truly thankful to CoBank for offering this program.”