JACKSON, Tenn. — Aug. 18, 2025 — Macie Smith, a public relations major from Manila, Arkansas, lives out Union’s mission to serve church and society.
She has interned with a nonprofit consulting company, worked for the Hospitality Hub in Memphis, lived on campus as a summer RA and interned at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
This summer, she spent June working at Memphis Teacher Residency’s camp, and in July, she began a monthlong internship working as the Bus Stop Café manager for Jackson’s Regional Inter-Faith Association.
“I have tried every year to do meaningful, fun stuff with my summer,” Smith said. She first connected with RIFA through a class assignment that offered extra credit for volunteering at the thrift store.
Once she had fulfilled her extra credit, she decided to continue volunteering that year, and when the opportunity arose for her to work with RIFA again, she didn’t hesitate.
RIFA started the Bus Stop Café in 2019 to fill the gap when kids are out of school, and they’re not getting their school lunch every day. The converted school bus travels to the most vulnerable areas of Jackson to provide free meals to children up to age 18. With two tables that can seat 20 children at a time, the bus stays busy all summer.
“We park the bus, and the kids are actually able to come onto the bus and eat their lunch,” Smith said. “At some locations we can feed as many as 60 or 70 kids.”
Smith oversees the volunteers who help with the bus every day, keeps track of how many kids are eating and orders for the upcoming days.
Monday through Friday, Smith and the volunteers head out on the bus and deliver the lunches, which usually include a sandwich, fruit or vegetable and milk or juice, providing a complete meal for kids that may not have access to food otherwise.
At the end of the week, they pass out RIFA’s Snack Backpacks that contain nonperishable food items for the children to take home during the weekend.
Between the Bus Stop Café and the Snack Backpacks, RIFA has provided 4,000 meals to local children this summer.
Smith found her way to Union after a lengthy college search. She said her decision to attend Union was rooted in her desire to grow spiritually and academically.
“The way Union embraces its Christian identity really appealed to me,” she said. “I wanted to be somewhere for my college years that made faith a part of the conversation.”
Her time at RIFA has built another layer to her faith.
“I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with kids this summer,” Smith said. “It’s been a good reminder of how Jesus moves children and how they can remind us to live our lives and approach the Lord as children.”
Smith will graduate in December and is still working out her post-graduation plans.
To learn more about RIFA and the Bus Stop Café, visit RIFA's website.