Center For Civil Justice Receives $50,000 Grant To Increase Awareness In Child-Hunger Relief Programs
ConAgra Foods Foundation’s Community Impact Grant to Help the Center for Civil Justice Increase Awareness of Child Nutrition Program
Saginaw, MI – – In Michigan, there are more than 755,000 children facing food insecurity. As one of ConAgra Foods Foundation’s Community Impact Grant program’s newest recipients, the Center for Civil Justice is positioned to further its efforts in the fight against child hunger in the our community.
Through “3 meals – 12 months – All Children”, the Center for Civil Justice aims to increase participation in federal meal programs by promoting the importance of 3 meals a day for a year-round continuum of healthy eating for children. The Center for Civil Justice will give this strategy a Michigan “face” by developing a local video. It will highlight the federal child nutrition programs, how they can be combined to ensure year-round meals, and will showcase successful Michigan programs that run school breakfast, afterschool and summer meals. The video will also provide information on the Community Eligibility Option for eligible schools and school districts.
“Every day we see kids who are worried about where their next meal is coming from and we have a responsibility to ensure they have access to nourishment,” said Marybeth Laisure, Child Nutrition Program Coordinator, Center for Civil Justice. “Receiving the ConAgra Foods Foundation grant gives us the resources to reach these kids, to feed them, to help them focus on what’s important: being a kid.”
About the Community Impact Grant Program
The Center for Civil Justice is one of 12 nonprofit organizations in eight states across America selected to receive a 2013 Community Impact Grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation. Grantees are selected from areas with the greatest number of children at risk of experiencing hunger,* and/or where ConAgra Foods employees reside.
Now in its fourth year, The ConAgra Foods Foundation has invested more than $2 million in Community Impact Grants programming – including enrollment in government-assistance programs, nutrition education, advocacy and direct access to food. The program aims to provide more than seven million meals to children across the country.
“Without access to healthy food – even temporarily – children can face life-long wellness consequences,” said Kori Reed, vice president, ConAgra Foods Foundation and Cause. “That’s why programs like “3 Meals-12 Months- All Children”: are so important. Being on the frontlines every day, the Center for Civil Justice is nourishing these children so they can unlock their highest potential, and we want to empower that success.”
The Community Impact Grants are part of the company’s 20-year commitment to investing in innovative programs that better connect kids with nutritious food and the information about food they need to lead healthy lives. For more information about the ConAgra Foods Foundation’s anti-child hunger initiatives, please visit www.conagrafoodsfoundation.com.
The Center for Civil Justice (CCJ) advocates for people in Michigan who need help meeting their basic needs, by using legal expertise to monitor and improve public policy and access to governmental programs and services. Anyone who would like to learn more about the project or what services CCJ provides in Genesee County can call (810) 244-8044. CCJ’s website is www.ccj-mi.org.
About ConAgra Foods Foundation
The ConAgra Foods Foundation, through its Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow platform, is dedicated to raising awareness of the nearly 17 million children in America who are at risk of hunger and live in food insecure homes where they may not have enough food to live active, healthful lives. It aggressively pursues sustainable solutions in the fight against child hunger. And the Foundation is committed to building a community of people who are passionate about ensuring that all kids have access to the food and facts they need to eat nutritiously while living balanced lifestyles and succeeding in school and life. ConAgra Foods Foundation invests in national and local partnerships with high-impact, not-for-profit organizations, such as Feeding America and Share Our Strength that take an innovative approach to addressing needs in the core areas of hunger and nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.ConagraFoods.com or www.facebook.com/ConAgraFoods The ConAgra Foods Foundation is primarily funded by ConAgra Foods.
Michigan Residents are Thankful for the Opportunity to Help Their Community
Statewide – This Thanksgiving, over 60 across Michigan participating in the Experience Works Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), are processing and shelving food donations, keeping track of inventory, filling emergency food box orders, and helping to cook and serve meals at more than 40 food banks, homeless shelters, and nutrition programs across the state.
With thousands of requests from hungry families each day, the SCSEP participants are providing a crucial lifeline in local communities, said Andrea S. Bridgewater, Michigan director for Experience Works. Although valued year-round, their community service is especially important during the Thanksgiving season as food requests dramatically increase.
Older workers thrive on their ability to give back, said Bridgewater. Our program provides work experiences, training, and other services that help low income older workers give back to their community as a stepping stone to employment. They learn new skills, earn needed income and help others. Once they get full time jobs, many volunteer with an organization that allows them to give back to the community in a meaningful way.
Experience Works is the nations largest organization providing training, community service, and employment opportunities for low-income adults age 55 and older through the (SCSEP) in Michigan and 29 other states and Puerto Rico. For more information visit www.experienceworks.org.
Source: Press Release
Meijer Donates $40,000 for 2013 Great Michigan Read
LANSING— Michigan Humanities Council is pleased to announce that it was the recipient of a $40,000 award from Meijer to sponsor the 2013-14 Great Michigan Read. The donation will be used toward general program funding – such as books, program and promotion materials, and author tour costs. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based supercenter has supported or participated in the program since it began in 2007.
“Meijer is delighted to continue our partnership with the Michigan Humanities Council as it fosters appreciation and understanding of our great state,” Co-Chairman Hank Meijer said. “And what better way to achieve this than by offering an adventure for all ages through the Great Michigan Read.”
The Great Michigan Read is a statewide reading and discussion program that aims to cultivate a shared understanding of who we are as Michiganians. Previous support from Meijer allowed MHC to provide book kits to nonprofit partners – kits include up to 30 copies of the selected title, along with reader’s and teacher’s guides.
“Meijer has deep roots in Michigan, and its regular sponsorship of the Great Michigan Read reflects that history and sense of place that is explored and celebrated in all of the Michigan Humanities Council’s programs,” said Council Board Chair Timothy Chester.
The bi-annual program and its discussions surround a single title – typically a book written about Michigan or by a Michigan author. MHC partners with hundreds of schools, libraries, religious organizations and other nonprofits to facilitate discussions, reading programs, lectures and much more.
The 2011-12 Great Michigan Read drew 300 partners and reached 53 of Michigan’s 83 counties. Partnerships with MLive Media Group and the Detroit Free Press enabled MHC to reach more Michiganians through newspaper inserts, and the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion presented a traveling exhibit that presented themes from that year’s title: Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age by Kevin Boyle.
MHC plans to announce the 2013-14 Great Michigan Read title in the Spring with program implementation in the Fall.
About the Michigan Humanities Council
The Michigan Humanities Council is a private, nonprofit organization created to foster a better understanding of each other and our state through local cultural, historical and literary experiences for all. The Council was founded in 1974 and is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and individual donors. For more information on future programs, upcoming grant opportunities or how you can support these efforts, please visit www.michiganhumanities.org or call (517) 372-7770.
Source: Press Release
Michigan Homeless Camp Video Released
State of Michigan – Dozens of homeless people living in tents in wooded state lands between two major expressways now have homes or temporary shelter with the help of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and a number of Washtenaw County agencies that advocate for housing.
A video released by MDOT and MSHDA delves into the complexities of homelessness and the reality that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The video briefly explains the history of the homeless encampment, known as Camp Take Notice, between M-14 and I-94 in Scio Township. The video also details the efforts by state and local agencies to help.
“Homelessness ends with a place to live,” said Sally Harrison, director of the Rental Assistance and Homeless Solutions division for MSHDA, who stressed that a place to live means a domicile with a door and a roof. “We look forward to continued collaboration with Washtenaw County housing agencies to develop long-term solutions for the members of the Camp Take Notice encampment.”
In an interview for the video, Tate Williams, an original resident and leader at the camp, said Camp Take Notice served a purpose.
“We are at a turning point. We have a lot to build on,” Williams said, adding that they will rethink “how we’re going to address the situation of the homeless population.”
To learn more about the campaign to end homelessness in Michigan, please go to thecampaigntoendhomelessness.org.
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