No Kid Hungry quickly granted funds to three school districts in North Carolina to help rebuild their kitchens and get their meal service back up and running during a time when students needed healthy meals the most. Here is an update on those grants.

• Jones County School District, a rural district in eastern North Carolina, lost two entire schools in the storm. Students were rerouted to existing schools, which did not have enough cafeteria equipment to serve the influx of students with a variety of menu options. No Kid Hungry’s grant funds purchased new refrigerators for the remaining schools so they can provide more fresh fruits and vegetables to their students.
• More than 1,000 students in Craven County School district, home to the 2018 State Principal of the Year Tabari Wallace, were displaced after the storm. Schools were damaged and much of the district’s kitchen equipment was destroyed in floods. They are using No Kid Hungry’s grant to purchase a new oven to provide more hot food items to students.
• Pamlico Middle School in Pamlico County was heavily damaged in the storm. The school is using No Kid Hungry’s funds to buy a new refrigerator and freezer and replace electrical units that were damaged due to flooding. Pamlico is a very rural county and the school district is the largest employer. As they wrote on their grant application, “Pamlico County Schools has been instrumental in providing a quality school food service program since opening. Although small, the determination to feed hungry kids has been consistent. The staff team in food service consist of mothers, aunties and friends who know each child’s name. Having a real one-on-one relationship with our students afforded additional outreach services and networking benefits. Pamlico County Schools food service is proud of their services to students.”

We know that rebuilding efforts continue today and that the impacts from Hurricane Florence will be felt for years to come, but thanks to the hard work of these educators and school nutrition professionals, and countless others, kids in North Carolina are getting the healthy food they need at school.

The post An Update on Hurricane Florence Relief appeared first on Share Our Strength.

As firefighters work to contain the blaze, which has sent California into a state of emergency, Share Our Strength – the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign – is stepping in to help meet increased demand for food and supplies for families and communities impacted by these fires. Though much of our work takes place in schools, we know that hungry children in a crisis need all the help we can provide.

To support the families and kids impacted by this disaster, Share Our Strength is making a $10,000 grant to Dignity Health Connected Living (DHCL) in Redding, CA.

DHCL serves one of the locations hit hardest by the Carr wildfires in Northern California and, in addition to using its facilities as an evacuation center, is providing emergency food assistance and CalFresh outreach to the community.

While almost half of the displaced families near Redding are now heading home, they’re returning to smoke damaged houses and spoiled food. Share Our Strength funding will ensure that DHCL is able to meet the demand for food and supplies throughout this critical period.

The people of California are in our thoughts and prayers. Share Our Strength stands ready to do what we can to help families rebuild and ensure that their children have enough to eat.

You can help, too. We urge everyone who supports Share Our Strength and the No Kid Hungry campaign to donate what you can to Dignity Health Connected Living to help make their work possible.

The post How Share Our Strength is Helping Kids Impacted by the California Wildfires appeared first on Share Our Strength.