OUR MISSION | Selma Roots

All Profits Fund Ministry

100% of profits are reinvested back into the

Son Light Center Ministry

Selma Roots is a subsidiary of The Son Light Center (“Son Light”), a §501(c)(3) organization that supports the Black Belt communities. The Center, founded and directed by Betty Oldroyd, has fed individuals and families in the Selma area and the surrounding counties for over 17 years.

Profits are revenues less operating expenses. After paying for the mortgage on the Selma Roots Building, utilities, staff wages, and supplies, 100% of the remaining funds are used for ministry purposes.

Son Light differs than other large nonprofits, where directors and board members are paid large salaries. The director and the board members are uncompensated, and actually donate a significant portion of their own income to the ministry. No salary is paid to the director or the executives of the organization. Any wages paid for workers go to members of the community in need of employment.

Food Ministry

Son Light assists people in need throughout central Alabama, primarily through operation of a food bank and food distribution network. It currently serves 7 Alabama counties, feeding between 2,000 and 3,000 families a month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these numbers rose significantly to up to 10,000 families fed in one month. Son Light distributes food in Selma on a regular basis and also travels outside of Dallas County to serve Camden in Wilcox County, Uniontown in Perry County, and Jemison in Chilton County. The ministry brings homeless people hot meals during the winter months, along with gloves and blankets to help combat the cold.

Son Light travels extensively to pick up food for the ministry, sometimes as far as Nashville. In 2020, $13.9 million of food was donated and distributed by the ministry. In 2021, the total was $11.3 million.

Disaster Relief Ministry

Son Light also receives, manages, and distributes disaster relief items to the surrounding communities. These items include furniture, appliances, bedding and linens, household items, and toys. None of these items are sold, but instead are donated to families and individuals in need. The nonprofit receives the majority of their donations from two Walmart stores.

Training and Community Engagement

Son Light does more than distribute food and household items to those in need. The ministry also provide on-the-job training and volunteer hour credit for youth and those sentenced to court-ordered community service. Emphasizing the power of partnership, Son Light Ministry connects and works with the people living in the communities that they service. Doing so has empowered the nonprofit to further assist these communities.

Partnership with Gospel Tabernacle Church & ATAP

Son Light works closely with Pastor John E. Grayson and The Gospel Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Selma. The ministry also partners with the nonprofit All Things Are Possible (ATAP) to provide children with after-school care. There are currently 72 children enrolled in the program, and more than 100 children join during the summertime. ATAP helps the students with their homework, while Son Light provides them with food, clothing, and toys. In 2021, the program supplied over 300 families with these goods.

Partnership with The University of Alabama

The University of Alabama College of Business has made a long-term commitment to supporting economic development and relief measures in Selma and the surrounding Black Belt communities. University students, faculty, and staff have been working with the ministry since 2021, organizing the food center and community stores, distributing disaster relief items, completing bookkeeping and tax returns, and consulting on inventory management, point-of-sale systems, marketing strategies, and other business functions.

During the spring semester of 2023 (January to April) alone, University students, faculty, and staff donated 1,962 hours of their time to Son Light. During the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters, this number is around 2,500 hours for each of those semesters.

The University’s involvement will continue to increase and evolve, given Dean Kay Palan’s commitment to supporting Selma going forward. This partnership is a powerful and meaningful relationship, as it will allow Son Light to become more efficient and effective in its mission.