Jackson Free Press

The Mississippi Black Women's Roundtable, an intergenerational network of Black women and girls working to improve economic security, civic engagement and voter participation in Mississippi, is hosting an event called "Quarters Because We Care" on Saturday, March 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Keway Supersudz (212 W. Northside Drive) in Jackson.

The event allows participants to wash and dry their clothes at the selected laundromat for free throughout the day. There are limited time slots available, and participants must make an appointment by calling 769-487-5854.

"COVID-19 elevated our initiatives to provide economic security for Black women in Mississippi more than ever," Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of MBWR, says, "Then, the recent water crisis in Jackson hit particularly hard and showed the struggle of Black women that are the center of our state's economy struggling to make ends meet. That's why we've been partnering with laundromat owners to give people a chance to come and wash their clothes. At our most recent event we had seniors, single moms and more come by, but all of them were Black and all of them had their own stories to tell about their struggles."

For more information, visit keywaylaundry.com or msblackwomensroundtable.org.

Redeemer Church Micro-Enterprise Business Classes

Redeemer Church (640 E. Northside Drive) in Jackson is hosting a five-week micro-enterprise business class beginning on Monday, March 22. Classes will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will teach skills necessary to create and construct a sustainable business.

Meetings will take place in the church's Fellowship Hall and will observe proper social-distancing and mask-use guidelines. The registration fee is $150. Scholarships or assistance are available on request and upon completing the five weeks of training.

To register for classes, click here.

For more information, call 601-720-8830 or e-mail at [email protected].

Entergy Mississippi Providing Free Tax Preparation Services

As part of its commitment to empower low-income customers, Entergy Mississippi recently announced that it will help people who qualify for federal Earned Income Tax Credits and provide free IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance tax preparation services for qualifying customers.

At select locations, IRS-certified volunteers from Entergy Mississippi will help residents who earn $57,000 or less annually determine if they qualify for tax benefits. Qualifying families can receive as much as $6,700 through EITC, a release from Entergy says.

Qualified customers will also receive free tax preparation services on site. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many VITA programs also offer drop-off tax preparation services. For information on service availability and VITA site locations, click here.

The pandemic also means that some customers may qualify for an Economic Impact Payment of $1,200. Customers who didn’t receive a stimulus check in 2020 may be able to claim the payment as the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit on their tax return filed in 2021 for tax year 2020, the release says.

Free tax preparation services are available throughout the 2021 tax season. For more information, visit entergy.com/freetaxhelp.