In this season of giving, Memphis has a lot to be proud of. A recent study says the Bluff City is the most charitable city in the country.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy is a magazine based in Washington D.C. that covers non-profit organizations. It is their latest report that claims Memphis the most charitable city in the country.
Amy Marcella is the fundraising chair for the St. Vincent dePaul Food Mission in Memphis. She says there’s a big reason Memphis is at the top of that list.
“That’s what’s strong about the south. Our faith in God,” says Marcella. “Because no matter how poor you are or how rich you are, there’s always a way to help out.”
According to the report, for every $100 a person in Memphis makes, they donate about $6 to charity.
But it’s more than just money. There are also countless volunteers, like those who are volunteering their time for this year’s 33rd annual Memphis Thanksgiving Dinner for the Homeless and Hungry. They hope this new ranking will combat some of Memphis’ negative stereotypes.
“It gets covered up by the violence, the crime. It’s much more than that,” says Kristin Thomas, a volunteer for the Memphis Thanksgiving Dinner. “And they’re finally recognizing that we’re charitable. We want better for our community.”
Marcella has also seen this generosity firsthand. Back in 2015, St. Michael Catholic Church was vandalized several times. The church was able to fix its broken stained glass windows thanks to parishioners and Memphians who didn’t even attend the church.
“They stepped up and helped and brought checks to the office and we were able to have that window fixed,” says Marcella.
It’s a move church leaders hope will encourage others to pay it forward.
Salt Lake City came in second place for donating the highest average percentage of income to charity, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy report, but the south dominated after that. Birmingham, Atlanta, and Nashville round out the top five.
