Y of Metro Chicago Receives Grant from Walmart to Help Feed Kids This Summer
June 23, 2011
Walmart Launches $1.8 Million Effort to Expand Summer Services for Kids in Chicago
Donation will provide nutritious meals and help hundreds of Chicago youth access summer learning and employment programs
Today Walmart and the Walmart Foundation announced $1.8 million in grants aimed at filling the gaps created in Chicago when schools close for the summer. The funding is part of a nationwide, $25 million initiative to expand nutrition, learning and employment services for elementary, middle and high school students throughout the summer months. Grants will be provided to Catholic Charities, the Chicago Park District, the City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services/ McCormick Foundation/ The Chicago Community Trust, Summer Advantage and the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
According to the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), the primary reason for the achievement gap between higher and lower income youth is unequal access to summer learning opportunities and critical needs like healthy meals. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s summer giving grants will assist in three key areas:
- Providing thousands of healthy meals to school-age children in Chicago, and a total of 8 million healthy meals to more than 85,000 youth.
- Helping 600 local kids enroll in summer learning programs, and helping 20,000 youth nationwide participate in programs that will better prepare them to return to school.
- Providing jobs and skills training to 344 Chicago teens and more than 5,000 youth nationwide was possible with additional funding from The Chicago Community Trust.
Walmart Senior Vice President Julie Murphy stressed the company’s commitment to children this summer, saying, “This program is so important to children, families and communities facing tough times. Walmart wants to step up and make a difference with this grant, which will help organizations like Catholic Charities, the Chicago Park District, the City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, McCormick Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Summer Advantage and the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago expand their programs to give local kids access to healthy meals, learning opportunities, and jobs while school is out."
“Coordinated efforts between Chicago Public Schools, public and private sector partners, not-for-profits and the philanthropic community are extremely important in addressing the challenges faced by children and families in our community,” said Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard. “Positively engaging our youth during the summer is critical for their growth and development. We look forward to continuing to work with partners like Walmart, Catholic Charities, the Chicago Park District, McCormick Foundation, Summer Advantage and the YMCA of Metro Chicago to expand services and give our youth a better summer.”
To find additional information on the summer programs that Walmart is supporting and learn more about how Walmart is bringing its commitment to hunger relief to life this summer, visit www.walmart.com/fightinghunger.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support initiatives that are helping people live better around the globe. In May 2010, Walmart and its Foundation made a historic pledge of $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger in the U.S. The Walmart Foundation also supports education, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Through a $225,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation, Catholic Charities will expand its Summer Food Program in 2011 to support more than 200 sites in response to a growing number of children in need. The Summer Food Program will feed healthy and nutritious food to more kids who would otherwise go hungry when not in school, engage kids in physical activities while they are participating in the program and employ 60 youths to give them valuable work experience. Catholic Charities is dedicated to providing programs that alleviate hunger and help families and children get the nutritious foods they need to thrive. For more information, please visit www.lunchnmore.com.
Chicago Park District
Through a grant of $50,000, the Chicago Park District will be able to provide healthy breakfasts to local community youth between the ages of 6 and 18. For more information, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.
McCormick Foundation / City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services / The Chicago Community Trust
Walmart’s $500,000 grant and additional funding from The Chicago Community Trust will support 344 subsidized summer jobs for low income youth in four communities: Garfield Park, Englewood, Woodlawn and Little Village under the umbrella of One Summer Chicago, a collaborative effort between the City, County, civic and business communities to provide summer programming for youths. Visit www.OneSummerChicago.com for more information.
Summer Advantage
Through Walmart’s $900,000 grant over the course of three years, more than 600 CPS students will participate in a full-day and evidence-based summer learning program that provides scholars with small group instruction and mentoring. Scholars will gain more than 2 months of reading, writing and math skills through the program, which focuses on both the academic and social development of children through rigorous academic instruction and activities like engineering, physical education, art, cooking through science and field trips to landmarks and universities. Scholars also have the opportunity to lead service projects and interact with inspirational guest speakers. At least 33 CPS teachers will be employed through the program. Summer Advantage helps youth in high-poverty communities create significant academic gains, improve their self-esteem, and aspire to be leaders. For more information, visit www.summeradvantage.org/
YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago
The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s Healthy Kids Day Camp is reaching out to kids at risk of food instability by providing a host of activities to help children lead healthier lives, such as participating in nutrition lessons, learning how to prepare healthy snacks, and engaging in a variety of games, activities and sports. Through a $127,500 grant from the Walmart Foundation in collaboration with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Catholic Charities and Chicago Public Schools, the Y of Metro Chicago will be able to provide nutritious meals and snacks to over 2,000 youth each day at 17 locations citywide this summer. The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is Chicagoland’s leading nonprofit strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. To learn more about the Y of Metro Chicago, visit www.ymcachicago.org.
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