Volunteer Oxford Adopts Memory Makers for Series of Supply Drives

Volunteer Oxford is excited to announce that it will be partnering with Memory Makers Respite Day Services to host a series of supply drives through the spring and summer.

The first drive will take place on February 23rd from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in front of Larson’s Cash Saver on University Drive. Volunteer Oxford will collect donations of non-perishable foods and paper goods for Memory Makers, to help them provide programming for elders suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. The organization is also seeking a core group of volunteers to serve an hour or two and help collect these items. These drives will continue for the next few months and will be announced on the Volunteer Oxford Facebook page.

“Memory Makers is one of the many great non-profits that utilizes volunteers from the LOU community and we are happy to partner with them to help build a volunteer base and capacity for a project that is needed,” said Sarah Ball, Volunteer Oxford director.

Memory Makers is the only day respite service in Oxford, but goes above and beyond, providing free counseling to families and individuals recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. They also maintain a resource library to anyone seeking information on dementia. They are open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm with a daily fee of $20; however, fee waivers are available if there is proof of need.

This is not the first time Volunteer Oxford has adopted a local non-profit. In June 2014, Volunteer Oxford partnered with Doors of Hope Transition Ministries, which helps families transition out of homelessness and into self-sufficiency. With donated cleaning and sanitation supplies, client families had a little more breathing room to pay off debts or to save money for transitioning into their own housing accommodations. Also, it allowed staff to allocate greater funding for expanding the program. Volunteer Oxford collected over $3,000 for Doors of Hope, and they continue their monthly supply dries to this day.

“We hope to do the same for Memory Makers,” said Ball, “We want to not only provide Memory Makers with the goods they need to serve our community but want to give them a sustainable program, so they can coordinate their own drives.”

For further information about Memory Makers, visit their website memorymakers.org. For more information about the supply drive or to volunteer, contact Sylvia Stewart at sstewar1@olemiss.edu.

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