Articles in the Featured Category
To ensure that children with developmental delays/disabilities reach their highest potential, United Way of King County supports programs throughout the county that address their needs. We know that a critical piece of success for these children is direct support and engagement from their parents and families. When parents learn their child has delays, they may feel scared, helpless and powerless. But when they are connected to services and information that support and nurture their child’s development, parents feel empowered and supported as a result.
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At the end of August, United Way of King County gave a fond farewell to our fantastic AmeriCorps VISTAs and welcomed a stellar group in! Picking right up where their predecessors left off, Lydia, Olivia and Mary join fellow United Way VISTA Terrence Cabaio, who began in February 2012, and will work closely with our efforts to end hunger in King County and on building opportunities for volunteers. Meet the newest members of United Way’s team:
Hometown: Bellingham, Wash., but Lydia loves calling Seattle home.
A little bit about her: ”I…
It has just started to feel like summer here in King County, and yet the school season is just around the corner! While many students are getting all the required items they need for school as well as the “cool” new school clothes, others have a bigger issue to worry about…where they are going to sleep at night.
SchoolHouse Washington (a website that provides information and support for homeless students) recently came out with some findings breaking down homelessness for children and teens in…
On July 14, 2012, the volunteers headed to Renton’s Sunset Terrace Community Building—a partner site for United Way of King County‘s summer meal program. There, they learned about the inner workings of the Summer Food Service Program, a federal program that helps end hunger by feeding kids all summer long, when free or reduced-price meals at school are unavailable.
Boeing volunteers then grabbed bags full of promotional door hangers and hit the streets to get the word out about easy access to summer meal program sites.…
“Over 96,000 King County children utilize free or reduced lunch in school, an 8.5% increase since 2006. However in 2011 only 9.6% of these children who are eligible for free lunch accessed free summer meals.”
This was part of the training for the outreach events that the United Way of King County Summer Meals volunteers took part in. Volunteers attended a short training on how the Summer Food Service Program works, why we needed to do outreach, and what they were going to be doing…
A report released last week by the Food Research and Action Center shows dismal participation in this program – “in summer 2011 (the program) only fed one in seven of the low-income students who depended on the National School Lunch Program during the regular 2010-2011 school year”. Right here in Washington State only 9.6% of eligible children participated in July 2011 – we rank 40th in the nation in terms of participation. Tight budgets, reductions to summer school, and lack of awareness are leading barriers to increasing participation in the Summer Feeding Programs – but we can turn this around.
For those of us who work in the world of hunger and food security, it’s been hard to ignore the media and excitement around the release of the The Hunger Games film, based on the book by Suzanne Collins. I myself am a fan of the series and am currently on the third book and plan on seeing the movie next week. For those who don’t know, the Hunger Games is about a futuristic post-apocalyptic society where a totalitarian government called The Capitol…
I have a confession to make and it’s pretty bad… I’m not taking the Hunger Challenge. The reason why I’m not doing it is even worse – it’s because of coffee. It’s been the most common denominator in the plights of our bloggers – one they’ve overcome in some creative ways. Coffee is expensive and a luxury for many, but it’s something I’ve grown to love and respect… and expect on a daily basis. I just couldn’t give it up –…
Today, Nora Peters and I went to Little Eagles to talk to the Orcas about Hunger Action Week. When I was first invited, I spent a great deal of time thinking how I could talk about the issue of hunger to children who range in ages from 3.5-4 years of age. I didn’t want to throw hunger facts at them, but I wanted them to understand the importance of our food choices. I decided to take a page out of Ellen Gustafson’s book and just…
As we all already know, many people in Washington State and across the country have been severely affected by the recession that began in 2008. It is evident, with high foreclosure rates, slow job growth, and rising unemployment, that families are struggling; however, one of the more tangible consequences of the economic downturn is the number of hungry people. Since 2008, the number of people experiencing food insecurity in Washington has doubled: from 88,000 in 2008 to over 160,000 in the close…
