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This November, Charlottesville non-profit Kids-Lift brought Thanksgiving meals to 25 families. Thanksgiving is a holiday during which many of us reflect on how grateful we are for our friends, families, and communities. Thanksgiving meals traditionally bring families together for the purpose of giving thanks. For those who struggle to provide Thanksgiving meals for their families, their challenges have only been enhanced by the coronavirus pandemic. The difficulty and pressure of making the holidays a joyous time in which families have ample amounts of food can take away from the excitement of the season.
Many families have struggled since March because of the economic consequences of the ongoing COVID crisis. Further compounding difficulties, schools have switched to remote learning which makes it harder for kids to get the right nutrition, as many of them rely on school for food. The American Association of Medical Colleges estimates that 17 million Americans are facing food insecurity as a result of the pandemic, bringing America’s total number of people facing food insecurity to 54 million. As more families face food insecurity the longer the COVID crisis continues, Kids-Lift wanted to step up in a big way this holiday season.
“There was really a gap in support this holiday season,” said Samantha Lin, Executive Director. “Because of COVID many of the ways that these families could have been supported with extra food this holiday are unable to give. That’s why we stepped in,” explained Lin.
School and non-profit staff collaborated with volunteers to pass on fully-stocked Thanksgiving boxes with turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, corn, butter, pie, gravy, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, whipped cream, and milk. With these dinners, families in the Charlottesville community were able to enjoy their Thanksgiving holiday with more food and joy.
Kids-Lift is the non-profit arm of Premium Service Brands, a nation-wide franchisor based in Charlottesville, VA. Premium Service Brands and their seven brands (360 Painting, Handyman Pro, Pro Lift Garage Doors, Maid Right, Renew Crew, Kitchen Wise, and Rubbish Works) is dedicated to supporting communities all over North America.
You can get more information on how the pandemic has been impacting food insecurity in the United States by clicking here.