Making memorable community experiences in Mississippi
Published: May 15, 2023
Michael Maybell, Warehouse Supervisor in Anguilla, Mississippi, and his wife, Arlelia Maybell, have a gift for bringing the members of their community together. Their impact was so evident that they were recently awarded the 2023 GIVE Volunteer Family of the Year Award by the Governor of Mississippi after a community member secretly nominated the husband-and-wife duo.
Outside of Nutrien, Michael serves as a pastor for local churches. He credits Arlelia with being the brains behind their volunteer ventures and says that their community involvement is a family affair. With Arlelia’s background in education, the couple is passionate about championing the youth in their community and creating local opportunities for everyone to come together to have fun.
“We always try to go above and beyond for the community, especially those in need. We do our best to meet those needs and treat everyone equally by providing the materials to bring everyone up to the same standards,” says Michael. “It is essential to give back and be part of your community. Everyone is where they are today because someone else has been a light to them and opened a path for them to follow. Even if you have a full-time job, it doesn’t take a lot of time to make an impact on someone else.”
Creating community
With the closest community events, such as holiday light displays and carnivals, over 50 miles away, Michael and his family decided to make a change to make these experiences accessible to their community.
They built a walk-through holiday light display by hand for the residents of Hollandale, MS to visit. Building the display wasn’t without its challenges as there was no way to provide electricity for the lights at the site for the display. Instead, the lights were hooked up to eight generators. For the 2023 holiday season, Michael is working with engineers in the community to make it easier to light up the night. They also put on the town’s first ever carnival!
“We all are here for a purpose so we need to use our gifts while we can. My wife and I have the gift for getting people together,” says Michael. “We always think of others before ourselves and like to put a smile on peoples’ faces. We’re grateful that God has provided for our family to give back to our community and hope that by doing these acts of service, we can not only bring everyone together but motivate someone else to continue the work when we’re no longer able.”
Supporting local agriculture
From a very early age, Michael had a deep appreciation for agriculture that was developed from growing crops in his mother’s garden. Before joining Nutrien’s legacy company, Mid-South Delta, as a truck driver, Michael followed his passion for agriculture and spent a few years working on a farm. 21 years later he is now the Warehouse Supervisor for the Anguilla location.
The branch is a small depot, so Michael is not only the warehouse supervisor, but is also the safety coordinator for the location. Any given day, Michael can be found doing a little bit of everything from answering phones and doing billing statements to driving a forklift.
His favorite part of the job? Getting to come to work every day!
“We have a great staff, great customers that we get to work with, and we get to help Nutrien continue to be better. It’s great to be part of an organization that is moving forward,” says Michael. “After 21 years of working here, my work life has become part of my home life and I genuinely feel like my team has become an extension of my family.”
Please join us in congratulating Michael and Arlelia on their achievement and thanking them for their dedication to their community!