Charlene Mosley is looking to serve.

“I’m ready to go,” the new United Way of West Central Mississippi board member said. “I’m ready to serve and live United.”

A native of Houston, Mosley and her husband Joe, pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, and their two sons have lived in Vicksburg for 11 years. She is a project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District, and has been a participant in Leadership Vicksburg, which introduced her to United Way.

“I received a phone call from the director, Michele Connelly, and she asked me if I wanted to be a member of the board of directors, and I prayed and I talked with her to see what United Way consisted of, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to serve my community,” she said, adding one of her sons has begun volunteering with United Way.

But United Way was not her first introduction to community service.

She has been involved with the Salvation Army, and Mount Calvary for four years served lunch at the Salvation Army Mission on Fridays.

Mosley said the idea for the lunch program was the result of a visitor to the church telling her about meals on wheels.

“That kind of sparked my interest in how we could help the community by providing food, and I talked with (then-commander) Capt. Srikant Bhatnager about how the church could help the Salvation Army, serving, because I knew they served lunch, and different churches were serving lunch. He said they just had an opening for Fridays.”

She went to the church, got volunteers, “And we went every Friday to the serve lunch. We had the youth to come and volunteer during the summer months and during spring break.”

The lunch program ended after her coordinator moved, she said.

The lunch program, Mosley said, was one part of the church’s outreach.

“The church goes out into the community with a package and prayer program, where we go out and hand out toiletries, just little items to show our concern for the community, and prayer. We’ve given out soup in the community, given turkey giveaways. I tutor children in science and math.”

She said church members working in the prayer and packages ministry go out in the community near Pearl and Oak streets.

“We give out packages, tissue, paper towels, Bibles, socks, and we offer prayer. Soup for the soul.

“Whomever’s sitting outside, we’ll give out soup; whoever is out and about; we’ll knock on doors and give the soup.”

She said she is interested in helping youth, particularly young ladies. It is an interest that has placed her in contact with Vicksburg Family Services, which she said has already approached her about helping.

But Mosley’s desire to serve isn’t limited to helping youth, “But also anyone else I can service. It’s a pleasure seeing smiles on people’s faces, knowing I have helped them and planted a positive seed in some way.”

For the past four years, she has coordinated a career fair through the Vicksburg District that served an outreach to eighth grade students in Warren County. The career fair, she said, showcases the STEM and non-STEM disciplines the District has to offer.

“We have it annually, and we have reached over 2,400 students to date. It’s a joy to hear the students’ questions and interests sparked after seeing the booths set up.”

She said Warren Central Junior High has been the host school until this year, when St. Aloysius will serve as the host.

“I love to serve people, and I guess the main reason why I wanted to start getting involved in the community was when my husband became pastor.”

And though she’s not a native of Vicksburg, “ I consider this home; I want to play a part. This is where my boys are growing up. I wanted to be able to help out more, and I know with the United Way, which has several partners in the community is a great way to start and help.”