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Earlier this afternoon, Congressman Steve Cohen, City of Memphis Mayor AC Wharton and Shelby County Trustee David Lenoir spoke at

02TaxPrepStoryour Hickory Ridge Mall Free Tax Prep site about financial stability and the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Today is Earned Income Tax Credit  Awareness Day nationally, timed to coincide with the last day workers are to receive their W-2 forms from employers and the first day the Internal Revenue Service is processing filed tax returns.

M. Elena Delavega, Ph.D., MSW, assistant professor from the Department of Social Work at The University of Memphis shared statistics showing that there are more people who qualify for – but are not claiming – the Earned Income Tax Credit than previously thought, driving home the need for our community to support the Free Tax Prep work taking place across the Mid-South.

Regina Walker, Sr. V.P. of Community Engagement and Alignment at United Way thanked community leaders for getting involved in the effort, as it is an important part of our work to impact financial stability for local citizens.

Sharing her true life story of the fees she had to pay tax preparers before discovering our Free Tax Prep sites, Pamela McCain provided a strong testimonial and enthusiastically encouraged more Mid-Southerners to take advantage of the service.

You can learn about Free Tax Prep sites open in your area by clicking here. You can also call the 2-1-1 help and information line Monday through Friday during normal business hours and speak with a trained operator to learn about the Free Tax Prep site in your area.