#SaveWithStories reading scheme gets helping hand from Hollywood stars
With most US schools closed due to coronavirus, Hollywood stars Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams’s new #SAVEWITHSTORIES initiative is helping the country’s most vulnerable kids continue to learn and get the nutrition they need while at home.
The actors are sharing their favourite books and stories on Instagram and Facebook – and asking their friends to do the same – to drive donations to Save the Children and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign’s coronavirus response efforts.
Committed to meeting the most urgent needs of children during the global pandemic, Save the Children and No Kid Hungry are providing books, learning materials and nutritious meals to children in America’s poorest communities, as 57 million students across the country depend on school for learning and development and 30 million children eat school meals.
‘Essential educational resources’
Nearly 100 stories have already been shared on #SAVEWITHSTORIES, generating more than 41.7 million views and 141,000 followers, and enabling Save the Children to give food and critical educational resources to nearly 90,000 children in 200 school communities across the country. No Kid Hungry and its partners are helping provide up to 800,000 meals per day to kids affected by school closures.
Betsy Zorio, vice president of Save the Children’s U.S. Programs & Advocacy, said: “As some school closures are now persisting through the end of the school year, summer 2020 could be the longest and most detrimental summer of children’s lives, impacting the growth and development of the nation’s most vulnerable kids living in poverty. To help prevent wide-scale learning loss and a wider achievement gap, we need to get essential educational resources to more families so they can keep the learning going at home.”
Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company is a founding partner of #SAVEWITHSTORIES and secured numerous titles from its highly regarded library that are featured as part of the initiative. Scholastic is committed to its mission of helping kids learn and proud to be supporting children and families.
‘Families need stories to enrich their learn-at-home experiences’
“Scholastic is proud to partner with Save the Children and No Kid Hungry on this important initiative. With many schools, libraries and bookstores closed across the country, it’s essential to create ways for kids to still access books,” said Ellie Berger, EVP and President, Scholastic Trade Publishing. “Now more than ever, families need wonderful stories to enrich their learn-at-home experiences and provide the joy and comfort of reading together in unsettled times.”
As part of its coronavirus response effort, No Kid Hungry has issued emergency grants to schools, food banks and community groups feeding kids nationwide. Grantees are using the funds to hire drivers for mobile meals trucks, open new meal sites, provide backpacks full of food and other initiatives to ensure kids get the food they need while schools are closed and beyond.
‘We must ensure kids don’t fall through the cracks’
Lisa Davis, senior vice president of the No Kid Hungry campaign, said: “Even before the coronavirus hit, millions of low-income families were struggling to keep their heads above water, making tough tradeoffs between things like food, rent, transportation, child care and medical costs,” said . “With millions of children relying on free or reduced-price school meals, we must ensure these kids don’t fall through the cracks as schools close across the country in response to this pandemic. We’re thankful to Jennifer and Amy for their leadership in shining a light on this important issue with #SAVEWITHSTORIES, and for the outpouring of support from individuals. We know this is a challenging time and it’s inspiring to see so many stepping up and doing what they can to help meet the needs of our nation’s children during this crisis, and after.”
https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2020-press-releases/savewithstories-helps-coronavirus-response
