JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi’s poultry and egg companies this year stepped up their annual donation of chicken meat and eggs for the charities of Governor Reeves’ choosing.

Governor Reeves has directed this generous donation of 478,500 servings of protein to the Mississippi Food Network and Salvation Army. That is 87,229 pounds of meat and 129,600 eggs.

“Thank you to the Mississippi Poultry Association for once again stepping up to serve their fellow Mississippians,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “The Mississippi Food Network and the Salvation Army do a tremendous job serving those who need it most, and I appreciate them for accepting this donation to help fight hunger in our state.”

“This year’s deliveries to the Mississippi Food Network and Salvation Army began arriving before Thanksgiving. The companies started earlier because of the extra demand the two charities were reporting. The last trucks will arrive at the MFN warehouse today. We appreciate Governor Reeves coordinating this effort,” said MPA Chairman of the Board Ed Fletcher of Koch Foods.

“We are deeply grateful to the governor and the Mississippi Poultry Association for this generous donation. At Mississippi Food Network, partnerships like this make it possible for us to provide nutritious meals to families across our state. This contribution will help us meet the growing need and ensure that no Mississippian goes hungry,” said Mississippi Food Network CEO & COO Cassandra Mobley.

“The Salvation Army is deeply grateful to Governor Reeves and the Mississippi Poultry Association for this generous donation. These chickens and eggs will help us feed hundreds of families across our community. At a time when many are struggling, this gift is more than food—it is hope placed on the table. We are honored to partner together in serving our Mississippi neighbors,” said Major Timothy Delaney of The Salvation Army.

Since the program began, MPA members have donated 977,00 pounds of chicken and 2,012,200 eggs, which totals almost six million servings of protein.

In addition to the 32,000 people that work in the industry and the 1,700 farm families that raise these chickens and eggs, another 66,400 jobs are generated because of the poultry industry. Mississippi’s largest agricultural industry, poultry’s total economic impact is $27.8 billion.

These products raised on Mississippi farms come from Amick Farms, Cal Maine Foods, Koch Foods, Mar-Jac Poultry MS, Peco Foods, Tyson Foods and Wayne-Sanderson Farms. Each company individually donates products throughout the year to various charities, but they come together through the Mississippi Poultry Association once a year to make this donation.

Ole Miss didn’t have to search very long, or very far, for the replacement to former head coach Lane Kiffin.

Defensive coordinator/inside linebacker coach Pete Golding is taking over. And not on an interim basis. He’s the new, permanent head coach.

The move ensures a certain amount of continuity for the Rebels’ run in the upcoming College Football Playoff.

Golding, 41, arrived in 2023. He previously served as the defensive coordinator and inside linebacker coach at Alabama, from 2018 through 2022.

The Mississippi job is Golding’s first head-coaching stint. And his first big challenge will be to persuade some of the Ole Miss players to not follow Kiffin to LSU.

Which is one of the main reasons why Mississippi wanted Kiffin out, once he decided to go. And while the outcome is a symptom and not the disease when it comes to one specific form of college football chaos, Kiffin could have just accepted it and left — without whining about not being able to stick around.