FOUNDATION RECEIVES $25,000 RITE AID KIDCENTS REGIONAL GRANT

LYNNWOOD, WA – The Foundation for Edmonds School District has been awarded a $25,000 Rite Aid Foundation KidCents Regional Grant to expand Nourishing Network food and family assistance programs. It is one of 15 Washington state non-profits to receive funding.

KidCents Regional Grants support nonprofit organizations with programs that serve children, from newborn to 18 years of age, and improve the quality of life in Rite Aid communities. The grants support three of KidCents’ primary focus areas for improving the health and wellbeing of children: healthy eating, active living and education.

“As the number of students experiencing hunger and homeless in our district grows, so too does our need for additional resources to fund and expand our food assistance programs,” said Deborah Brandi, Executive Director of the Foundation for Edmonds School District. “The Nourishing Network began as a weekend meal program but has grown to include a summer meal program, monthly pop-up pantries as well as comprehensive supports for more than 300 of our district’s most vulnerable students and their families. We thank The Rite Aid Foundation for helping to fund these essential services with this grant.”

The Nourishing Network was created in partnership with and at the request of the Edmonds School District to provide food assistance for hungry and homeless students and their families. More than 4,000 non-perishable food items move through Nourishing Network pantries each week of the school year. In 2018-2019, the Foundation provided 7,221 weekend meal kits for 275 homeless students and served 3,790 free summer lunches. On average, 33 percent of students in the Edmonds School District qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program and an estimated 650 will experience homelessness during the school year.

The Rite Aid Foundation recently announced KidCents Regional Grants totaling $5 million awarded to 233 nonprofits nation-wide. “The Rite Aid Foundation is committed to being a caring neighbor and making meaningful differences for the children and families who live in the communities we serve,” said Tracy Henderson, director of The Rite Aid Foundation and charitable giving initiatives.

For 35 years, the Foundation for Edmonds School District has worked in partnership with the District to ensure that every student has the resources to learn, thrive and contribute to our vibrant community. With an all-volunteer board and active community participants, the Foundation provides supplemental funding to support students, families and educators in the pursuit of educational excellence. www.foundationesd.org

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