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Featured Organization

In every issue, we will feature a non-profit/not-for-profit organization that values coloring and uses it to bring about positive change in our world.

FEED THE CHILDREN

The mission that Feed the Children (FTC) has had for the last 35 years is to provide essential resources to families so no child goes to bed hungry.  Erin Carlstrom, Director of Education Partnerships, Corporate Donor Relations of FTC explained its focus – FEED, or the four pillars of strength:  Food, Education, Essentials and Disaster.  The focus of the four core pillars is mostly domestic, but FTC does provide international assistance.  The goal is to feed both minds and bodies.

 

The common denominator in the families served is a lack of education and literacy challenges.  Of course the organization can help provide an immediate fix for today’s issue, but the larger issues are why people are in this situation and how best to address this in a long term way.  Carlstrom stated that their organization can provide educational literacy resources to help family members from the ages of 1-99 to help break the cycle of poverty.
Courtesy of Feed the Children

Erin Carlstrom described just a few of Feed the Children’s active programs:

 

The oldest program:  Kids School Basics – FTC takes donated school and personal care items and reaches out to contacts in each of the 50 state departments of education to let them know they would like to ship boxes of supplies to the schools most in need in each state.  The state contacts do a good job of taking care of both city and rural schools across their states.  By shipping boxes to the various schools, many more locations can be touched with the donated items. This program has been in motion for about 20 years.
Courtesy of Feed the Children

How Can You Help?

HELP – Homeless Education Literacy Program is a program now in its 10th year. Feed the Children is partnered with the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. FTC just received the President’s award for their continued partnership.  Carlstrom stated that they distribute backpacks, personal care items and ready-to-eat snacks to youth in need.  The backpacks ship by the truckload to all 50 states.  Over 900,000 backpacks and $35 million in supplies have been distributed to children identified as homeless.  In the United States there are 1.3 million students that are identified as homeless.  By reaching out to these children, FTC is trying to help make it easier for them to attend and stay in school and to help make it a safe place during 8 hours of their day.  Often these kids won’t attend school because they don’t’ have the supplies or something to carry their supplies in.  The goal of HELP is to provide the tools needed to make students feel more included and not feel embarrassed or stand out among their peers.  Then they will feel safe and secure and have the supplies they need.  If a lack of resources is what causes the kids not to go to school, FTC feels this is something they can help fix. This will also again help to break the cycle and effect long term change.
Courtesy of Feed the Children

A third program, a pilot program beginning its third year, is the Summer Feeding program.  The basic goal of this program is to provide children something of their own, a book, while also learning about good nutrition.  The summer feeding program provides meals to children that would not receive meals because schools are not in session.  The goal is to incorporate reading and feeding.  Kids receive backpacks, schools supplies and coloring books.  Every day children come for lunch, they leave with a new book to help them build their own library at the home.  Kids also read to their siblings at home and also to the adults/parents who may be illiterate.  The reading component again helps break the cycle and create long term change.

 

For more information, visit www.feedthechildren.org