Thursday, October 1, 2015

United Health Foundation and Whole Kids Foundation Offers Grants to Improve Community Health





Noah is the world’s pickiest eater. He can’t eat school lunch because he doesn’t eat meat Even though they have a peanut butter and jelly option, he is still too picky. So I have to pack him lunch every day. That way I know he is getting enough to eat. I constantly worry about his nutrition because of this. Some schools offer what is known as snack packs that provide extra food for students to bring home. Unfortunately, some families are unable to afford a lot of food. Even with assistance, kids can still go hungry at night, or come to school starving. Have you ever been so hungry that your stomach hurts from the constant rumbling? When anyone is that hungry, it’s hard to function. It’s hard to think about anything but the hunger. Imagine being a child, at school, trying to learn. Schools usually also offer breakfast. It’s really important to have these programs funded. Sometimes, a child will not get to school early enough for breakfast if they take the bus. It would be nice if there were a snack box that they could grab something out of to tide them over till lunch.

I learned about a program that will offer grants to elementary schools to help improve kids’ health through nutrition. I think it is wonderful. I have been really hungry before as an adult and I get really bad headaches when I haven’t ate. I can’t imagine what that does to a child. I remember when a friend of mine didn’t have any food, I cleaned out my cabinets and gave her a huge box of food for her son. I don’t think any child should go to bed hungry. Imagine all the snack packs a school could offer if they received a grant from United Health Foundation and Whole Kids Foundation. That’s a lot of food. They could probably also have speakers come in and talk about nutrition or take a field trip to a dairy or a farm. 



Here’s more information:
 United Health Foundation and Whole Kids Foundation will announce a nationwide grant program open to educators, individuals and nonprofit organizations for innovative projects that provide solutions to improve children’s health through nutrition. The grants are designed to support elementary schools.

The grant program is being officially launched at West Vernon Elementary, one of the public schools submitting a letter of intent for a grant. The program will fund 10 to 12 projects. Grants, which range from $15,000 to $25,000, will be awarded in early 2016.

The grants are part of United Health Foundation’s “Helping Build Healthier Communities” program, which provides resources to local nonprofits that have programs aimed at expanding access to care, improving health outcomes and building healthier communities.

Grant deadlines and timeline Letters of intent for the program are due Nov. 30. Applications for the grant program are due Dec. 15, and the grantees will be announced in March 2016. The amount of each grant will range from $15,000 to $25,000. For more information on how to apply, visit www.wholekidsfoundation.org/health-kids-innovation or email grants@wholekidsfoundation.org.

Remember, you don’t have to be an educator to apply for a local elementary school to receive a grant.

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