Shamira Muhammad

Thirteen percent of Mississippi's population relies on SNAP benefits.

Cassandra Mobley, interim CEO of the Mississippi Food Network, says food partners around the state accepted the egg donation swiftly.

Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gibson says the freeze in SNAP benefits has also hit farmers.

Mississippi has announced it'll begin to distribute 65 percent of SNAP benefits.

For NPR News, I'm Shamir Mohamed in Jackson.

The National Folk Festival has been featured in nearly 30 communities around the country, but it's the first time the festival is being hosted in the Deep South.

Mississippi Delta blues musician and artist James Johnson goes by the name Super Chicken.

He makes guitars from items such as electric fans and cigar boxes, as well as an instrument called the diddly bow.

Artists performed bluegrass, West African balafon, salsa, Irish music, and D.C.

go-go.

Jackson will continue to host the festival through 2027.

For NPR News, I'm Shamir Mohamed in Jackson, Mississippi.