On April 13th, PeetiePie made a monetary donation to Books for Keeps.  This organization donates new and used books to children that would otherwise not have any books at all. Please be sure to visit their website to learn more about this wonderful charity.

PeetiePie was pleased to be able to provide a generous donation to Feeding America on 6/2/12.  Through the assistance of local and national food assistance programs, Feeding America is able to provide nutritious, fresh foods to Americans struggling with hunger; safe and nurturing places for children to have a meal; emergency assistance for disaster victims; as well as a chance at self-sufficiency for adults trying to break the cycle of poverty and hunger.

To find out how you can volunteer your time and/or make a tax deductible donation please visit http://feedingamerica.org/ to learn more.

Facts of Child Hunger in America

• Nearly 14 million children are estimated to be served by Feeding America, over 3 million of which are ages 5 and under.
• According to the USDA, over 16 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2010.
• 20% or more of the child population in 40 states and D.C. lived in food insecure households in 2009. The District of Columbia (32.3%) and Oregon (29.2%) had the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food.
• In 2009, the top five states with the highest rate of food insecure children under 18 are the District of Columbia, Oregon, Arizona, Arkansas, & Texas. iii
• In 2009, the top five states with the lowest rate of food insecure children under 18 are North Dakota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Maryland, & Massachusetts. iii
• Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children. 62 percent of client households with children under the age of 18 reported participating in the National School Lunch Program, but only 14 percent reported having a child participate in a summer feeding program that provides free food when school is out.i
• 54 percent of client households with children under the age of 3 participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).i
• 32 percent of pantries, 42 percent of kitchens, and 18 percent of shelters in the Feeding America network reported “many more children in the summer” being served by their programs.i
• In 2010, 16.4 million or approximately 22 percent of children in the U.S. lived in poverty.
• Research indicates that hungry children have do more poorly in school and have lower academic achievement because they are not well prepared for school and cannot concentrate.
• In fiscal year 2009, 48 percent of all SNAP participants were children
• During the 2010 federal fiscal year, 20.6 million low-income children received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. Unfortunately, just 2.3 million of these same income-eligible children participated in the Summer Food Service Program that same year.

While watching the local news this morning we saw a story about the Genesis House.  This organization is a local charity here in Atlanta that receives funds from federal, local and state sources, as well as private donations to help homeless babies and their families, with a priority being given to newborns.  In July they will no longer be the recipient of these funds due to budget cuts I believe.  When my husband and I heard this we knew we needed to help out with a donation from PeetiePie.   To find out more about Genesis Shelter and how you can donate your time and/or make a tax deductible donation please visit http://www.genesisanewlife.org/ to learn more.

A few FAQ’s about the Genesis Shelter………

Who does the shelter serve?
Genesis serves babies six months of age and younger, and their families; with a priority given to families with a newborn.  This could mean a baby and a single Mom, a couple with a baby and other children, a single Dad and his baby, or even sometimes Grandparents caring for a grandbaby.  Approximately 80% of the families served are single Mothers with a newborn and one or more additional children.

What areas of the city does the shelter cover?
Genesis is located at the corner of Boulevard and John Wesley Dobbs, in the Old Fourth Ward of Atlanta, directly across the street from the Martin Luther King Center.  Genesis serves families from throughout the metro-Atlanta area.

Genesis has a budget of approximately $1.2 million.  Twenty-five percent of the budget comes from federal, state, and local government sources, the remaining amount must be raised from the community – including individuals, foundations, faith-based organizations, civic groups and businesses.

Why do we need a shelter for homeless newborn babies?
A homeless newborn baby in Atlanta has very few options. Before Genesis opened, the mother and the newborn were forced to seek shelters that were not suitable for brand new babies! These shelters often posed physical and developmental problems for the newborn with a lack of hygiene, overcrowding, restricted shelter hours and insufficient services. Genesis Shelter enables families to stay together, with each family having their own bedroom.

While watching the local news this morning and getting ready for work, my husband and I saw a story about Must Ministries and the awesome services they provide to the local communities – Cobb, Cherokee, Douglas, Gwinnett, North Fulton and Paulding counties.

Thousands of children who normally eat free and reduced cost school lunches are home during the summer with little or no food. This critical situation is overcome in part with the effective MUST Summer Lunch Program. Every weekday for 10 weeks, sack lunches are packed and hand delivered to targeted locations suggested by school counselors throughout the area. Six counties are in the Summer Lunch network where staff, volunteers and donors bring daily meals to grateful children. During the summer of 2011, nearly 142,000 sack lunches were served to hungry children in Cobb, Cherokee, Douglas, Gwinnett, North Fulton, and Paulding Counties.

In addition to the monetary donation that PeetiePie made on 6/6/12, we are happy that we will also be able to volunteer at the Food Pantry soon and volunteer our time that way as well.  The company my husband and I work for, CA Technologies, provides a service to its employees to locate volunteer opportunities in their communities.  We were able to sign up for this wonderful opportunity as a result of that service.  🙂

To find out more about Must Ministries and how you can make a tax deductible donation or volunteer in other ways, please visit their website at http://www.mustministries.org/about.html to find out more.