May 30, 2018
Erika is a mother of 4 who relies on Allen Community Outreach’s Kids Summer Food Program. Erika lost her job three years ago, and has struggled to feed her children.“ACO’s Kids Summer Food Program helped my family tremendously last summer. If I did not have ACO’s help with our groceries during the summer when the kids are home, I would have to stretch my food to feed them all,” said Erika.
Her children range in age from 4 years old to 12. Her oldest daughter has cerebral palsy. Her 6 year old was diagnosed with autism. Faced with 4 hungry children can be a daily struggle when there is not enough food in the house. But with two children with special needs, Erika’s challenges are even greater.
Providing bags of kid-friendly and healthy groceries for children all summer long helps relieve some of Erika’s stress. Her cereal-loving 6 year old is happy with boxes to choose from each morning for breakfast. Her youngest two children are thriving thanks to the fresh fruits they receive in their bags. Lunches are just as easy with the items they receive that are easy to prepare and favorites of all kids.
ACO’s Kids Summer Food Program provides more than 1,000 free bags of healthy, easy-to-prepare breakfast and lunch foods during the summer months for Collin County children whose household resources are limited. These children are part of the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Program at public schools.
While ACO can’t reach all hungry children YET, hundreds of children in our service area, like Erika and her family are smiling and happy with full tummies all summer long. The program is made possible by local donations and sponsors like Dallas Morning News Charities.
May we count on you to help others like Erika? Please visit http://bit.ly/DMNCharities18 to donate today.
Jun 27, 2017
The North Texas Food Bank
NTFB’s summer feeding program not only provides breakfast to children enrolled in daycare, we provide backpacks of kid-friendly food for the weekend, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables to keep them healthy while on vacation. Here is an example of how your support helps kids in our community.
A site coordinator from one of our sites reported that prior to registering a set of second grade twins on the backpack program, Casey and Jamie* came in every morning complaining about being hungry, and they cried easily with any minor issues or problems. Their dad is not in the picture anymore, and mom has a really hard time financially. As they received their first backpacks full of food, Casey and Jamie both gave me a huge hug and thanked me. They smile every time they receive a backpack, and it has made a huge difference in their ability to cope with life’s challenges.
Jun 19, 2017
Order a meal from select restaurants today only, June 19 between 11 AM – 9 PM, on the Favor Dallas app and $1 of each purchase will benefit The Dallas Morning News Charities’ Kids Summer Feeding Campaign. Participating restaurants include:
- Big Guys Chicken and Rice
- Bowls & Tacos
- Christie’s Sports Bar
- Cinco Taco Bar
- Fadi’s Mediterranean
- Greenz
- Kozy Kitchen
- Modern Market
- MoMo’s Pasta
- Pōk The Raw Bar
- Sapa House
- Southpaw’s Organic Grill
- Stackhouse Burger
- Tacodeli
- Unleavened Fresh Kitchen
- Urban Caphe
- Zoës Kitchen
This summer, The Dallas Morning News Charities is supporting six local organizations that help provide nutritious meals to children whose lives are thrown in disarray when school is on break. According to the North Texas Food Bank, $1 equals one nutritious meal.
So essentially, ordering a meal with Favor today provides a meal for a North Texas child in need. It’s a win-win. Click the button below to download the Favor app and order a meal to give a meal today!
Click to Download Favor
Jun 16, 2017
Maria’s Story
Maria is a student in our Healthcare Pathways program with El Centro. She works nights so she can attend classes at Sharing Life during the day. She has 2 school-aged children and is the sole earner in the family. During the school year both of Maria’s children eat breakfast and lunch at their neighborhood school, but in the summer they go hungry some days. Last summer Maria signed both children up for Sharing Life’s Summer Food and Fun program. For 12 weeks both kids received a backpack full of easy to prepare breakfast and lunch items like granola bars, peanut butter & jelly, and microwaveable soups. In addition to the food items, each backpack also included age-appropriate books and educational activities to keep their brains sharp during the school break. Maria completed her courses at Sharing Life in the fall and is now a certified phlebotomist at a local hospital.
May 5, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2017
Contact:
Camille Grimes Executive Director,
Dallas Morning News Charities
214-977-7044
camillegrimes@dallasnews.com
(Dallas) – Every year, thousands of low-income students in North Texas receive free- and reduced-priced lunches at public schools. For many of them, it’s the only nutritious meal they eat all day.
But in a few short weeks, the summer breaks begins. How will they get meals then?
The Dallas Morning News Charities is teaming up with six local nonprofit organizations to help fill in the gaps with its first summer fund-raising campaign. The goal is to provide 30,000 additional meals. Each meal costs approximately $1. The campaign runs May 15- June 27.
While some school districts offer free lunches at a limited number of campuses in the summer, one in four North Texas kids are still food-insecure – meaning they have limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
No child should spend the summer hungry in this community.
“For our nonprofits, and those they serve, summer represents of greatest need for meals (no school lunches), and donations (slowest donation period),” said Richard Jones, chairman of the DMN Charities. “For our first Summer Feeding Campaign, I know our readers will answer the call of giving and we will exceed our goal of providing 30,000 meals.”
The partner organizations include those that provide meals, snacks or bags of groceries.
They are: Allen Community Outreach, Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, Crossroads Community Services, Frisco Family Services, North Texas Food Bank, Sharing Life.
Let’s help them keep kids healthy this summer.
To donate or learn more about DMN Charities and the summer program, visit dmncharities.com. 100% of every donation will go to provide meals for children in need in North Texas this summer.
Feb 22, 2017
The Johnsons
Tom and Anna Johnson were happily married, raising four beautiful children, living the life they always dreamed they would. Then, just like that, life as they knew it, would never be the same. In 2003, Tom was diagnosed with stage 4 congestive heart failure.
Aside from his job as a loving husband and father, Tom’s new job was to fight for his life. With Anna working as an RN at a local hospital, the family was able to stay in their current renter’s home in McKinney, and put food on the table. That is until, Anna fell and hurt her ankle and knee. With limited mobility, she had to take medical leave from her job. Now, the only source of income coming in was Tom’s disability check. This was not enough money to support a family of six. They needed help.
The Johnson family, suffering from a crisis they never thought they would face, reached out to Frisco Family Services for help. In meeting with a case manager, they received the support, encouragement, and community resources they desperately needed. Visits to the Frisco’s only Community Food Pantry put food on the table. Gas cards allowed Anna to drive her kids to school, and take her husband to doctor’s appointments. Emergency Financial Assistance helped pay their electric, gas and water bills. Through Seasonal Programs, like the Thanksgiving Meal Program, they were able to sit down as a family over a meal.
“With the help of Frisco Family Services, we realized we were more than just our situation,” said Anna. “We are a family, members of a strong community, and together we can do anything.”
The Rinaldis
The Rinaldi family never thought they would have to relive the hardest time of their lives. In 2012, Linda, a wife and mother of two, was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. To begin chemo therapy treatments, Linda was forced to leave her job. One year later, the family was elated to learn that Linda had gone into remission. She was able to work again part-time, and support her family. They thought their struggles were finally coming to an end.
This year, Linda’s breast cancer returned. It returned more aggressive than ever, and was diagnosed as a stage 4. The family was not ready to face another crisis. They were once again, a one-income household. Her husband’s income was not enough to support them. Medical bills began piling up, and even putting food on the table was a struggle.
The Rinaldi family turned to Frisco Family Services for assistance. In meeting with a case manager, support, encouragement, and community resources were provided. Frisco Family Services assisted with food, gas cards, rent, and seasonal programs. They were able to pay for Linda’s medical bills, and have healthy food to eat for every meal.
“I thought my battle with cancer was finally over, but when it returned so aggressively, I started to lose hope,” said Linda. “There was no way my husband and I could support two kids on just his income alone. Frisco Family Services gave us that hope back.”
