Miss. Religious Charity Raises Tea Party Hackles by Refusing Gift

A Mississippi religious charity has declined a donation from a local Tea Party-affiliated organization, saying it does not accept gifts from political parties, the Biloxi Sun Herald writes.

John Rhodes Sr., founder of the Mississippi Gulf Coast 912 Project, said he was “astounded” that the Back Bay Mission rejected food his group began collecting after board members heard the charity was swamped with needy families as a result of the recession. He said the charity’s decision “must be political.”

The Rev. Shari Prestemon, who directs the mission, said that while the 912 Project is not a registered political party, “the perception is there, and the same rule applies across the board for us.”

Rev. Prestemon said the 912 group did not just want to make a single donation but was “asking if Back Bay Mission could be their charitable cause.”

In an e-mail to Mr. Rhodes, she wrote that such a relationship would be problematic for the charity due to the “value conflicts we perceive between our two organizations.”