Administrative Office of Courts
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Needy Hinds County families receive Christmas food assistance December 22, 2021 About 50 needy families received food boxes Wednesday afternoon from the Hinds County Youth Court and the Department of Child Protection Services. 
The court and CPS social workers provided holiday meal assistance for families whose children are under the court's supervision for abuse, neglect or delinquency. Providing resources such as food assistance and other basic needs is one of the ways the courts and CPS improve the well-being of children. Hinds County Court and Youth Court Judge Carlyn Hicks said, "We appreciate the community partnerships we have established to help bridge the gap and meet the needs of our families, especially during stressful times such as the holiday season. We are committed to working as a system to assist in the stabilization of vulnerable families in Hinds County." "Providing food is part of an effort to make sure that people know there are people who care about them", said Youth Court peer counselor and truancy director John Knight. Too many times when we see people down, we leave them down. We are all worthy of second chances.  Knight and volunteer Justin Thomas of Clinton helped load boxes from a flatbed trailer into vehicles in the Youth Court parking lot as families and social workers drove through. Social workers delivered the food to needy people who did not have reliable transportation. "Earlier this week, CPS workers delivered Christmas gifts to 291 children in foster care and 75 children who have returned to their own homes but remain under the supervision of the Youth Court and CPS", said CPS Regional Director Cherrie Tobias. Some of these children had to leave everything behind when they were placed in foster care, Tobias said. For those children who have been reunited with their families under supervision, social workers put together a list of those families where thing were going to be kind of slim. CPS found sponsors to provide some of the gifts, and the social workers themselves bought gifts.  The Community Foundation of Mississippi donated 100 boxes of groceries. Each 19-pound box included pancake mix, canned chicken, vegetables and fruit, pasta meals and milk. #### |
