Ravenna – The Raven Packs organization is pleased to announce it has received a $5,000 Giving Well Community Needs Grant through United Way of Portage County. Raven Packs is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that was organized in June 2018 to address food insecurity for K-5 grade students in the Ravenna School District. It is a community-wide initiative. The inspiration for Raven Packs came from two educators from Willyard Elementary School, Mrs. Aleah Dunaye, Intervention Specialist and Ms. Andrea Morgan, School Counselor. Both witnessed firsthand that there was a need to develop a program to address food concerns for students.
The Giving Well Community Grant will allow Raven Packs to provide food bags to 142 students for an entire year. The Ravenna School District has an 80% poverty rate; every student qualifies for free breakfast and lunch during the academic year. The mission of Raven Packs is to bridge the hunger gap for 20% of the at risk students with the greatest need by providing food bags over extended weekends.
The grant funding will be utilized to purchase foods in bulk quantities to include in the Raven Packs food bags. The grant will assist in systematically and gradually increasing the number of students that can be served through the Raven Packs Program in order to reduce the poverty rate over a 5–year period. Beginning in September 2019, the goal is to provide Raven Packs food bags twice a month for students.
“We are very grateful and appreciative for the support from United Way of Portage County in helping us obtain the grant,” stated both Mrs. Dunaye, and Ms. Morgan.
United Way of Portage County provides financial support to community organizations, projects and programs through its Community Needs Grants. These grants provide funding outside of United Way’s existing long-term Community Impact Grants. Although these grants are designed to meet emerging needs or one-time projects, the overall project outcomes should still align with United Way of Portage County’s long-range focus on education, income and health. United Way’s Community Needs Grants are made possible by the support of the Giving Well Family Foundation.
