The second week of 30 for 30 for 30 focuses on Nonprofits Supporting Kids. I am blessed to have amazing family support and the ability to pursue higher education. Not all children do. This week I dug into and donated to (mostly) local charities that provide children and their families support in various ways.
University District Food Bank – Kids Packs
The University District Food Bank offers multiple services for low income individuals in Northeast Seattle: walk-in food bank, in-home food delivery, and food packs for kids. Packs for Kids is an important program because kids who are hungry miss school more, have a decreased attention span, and simply perform worse in school. The UDFB partners with eight local Seattle schools to make sure all children are properly fed. Simple meals and snacks in take-home bags are given to kids who risk going hungry over the weekend when free or reduced school meals are unavailable.
$30: A 12-pack of single serve Teddy Grahams
Gio’s Garden
Gio’s Garden is a non-profit in Madison, WI dedicated to nurturing and strengthening families with children with special needs. Specifically, kids with disabilities often cannot attend normal daycare. Further, it may take years for a family to receive funding or an official diagnosis from the government that would allow them to receive the respite care the child needs. Gio’s Garden offers Therapeutic Respite Care for eligible children until age six. This service eases the transition into a school setting and encourages growth through play and socialization.
$30: Board games Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders
Able Gamers Charity
Able Gamers Charity improves the quality of life for people with disabilities by finding ways for them to play video games. Video games help people with disabilities maintain mental health, experience things they may not otherwise be able to, and ultimately feel a sense of normalcy. Able Gamers works with each individual to determine the exact equipment needed to make gaming a possibility. Sometimes the solution is as simple as Velcro; sometimes an entire room needs to be built.
$30: I don’t know exactly what $30 goes towards, but everything Able Gamers provides is free of charge. From consultations to eye-tracking equipment, gamers do not pay anything.
Rainier Scholars
Rainier Scholars is a 12-year education program building a pathway to college education for low-income students of color. Not only does a college education provide more opportunities for economic self-sufficiency, but it also has a generational impact; kids are more likely to attend college if their parents attended college. In addition to academic education, students are also taught how to be leaders and self-advocates. To date, Rainier Scholars has helped over 700 Seattle children through college.
$30: I do not know specifics.
Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery
The Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery is an organization in Spokane, WA that provides refuge for children who are otherwise unsafe. Parents may be dealing with issues of substance abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, or they may simply be exhausted from the demands of parenting. The Nursery offers 24-hour child care for infants and children under age 7. In addition to child care, the Nursery offers parent education and crisis counseling.
$30: 30 ounces of infant formula. Parents can go to the Nursery every 30 days to get diapers and formula, free of charge.
Donors Choose – Classroom Supplies
Donors Choose is a fundraising platform available to teachers at any public school in the United States. Teachers create “projects” of items they need for their classroom (e.g., school supplies, musical instruments, books, fidget spinners, chairs, the list is ENDLESS). When a project is funded, Donors Choose purchases all items and sends them to the teacher so you know exactly where your money is going. I donated specifically to a friend from my hometown who teaches first grade in Boise, ID.
$30: Bulk box of crayons
Last week’s Nonprofits Empowering Women.