Water is Life announces well in Kenya
Water is Life Kenya, a Newark-based nonprofit, announced the opening ceremony for the Kuku Community deep well in southern Kenya.
Before the drilling of the well, women in the community walked many hours every day to dig in a dry river bed to access barely potable water. Poor water often resulted in serious health issues for their families. In a community with hundreds of women, and each woman needing several cans of water to take care of her family, the water lines were long. The women were often forced to come at night in a group, with warriors to protect them from the elephants, hyenas, and lions that gather around the watering holes to drink.
The 1,700 people in the community live in a remote area. No one had ever reached out to help them with their water struggles. That changed when Water is Life Kenya came on the scene.
The two year Kuku well project involved digging a 570 foot (175 meter) well through hard volcanic rock to access clean water.
Water is Life Kenya raised over $60,000 for the deep well, a special pump and power source, and water storage facilities. The well will succeed because the organization trained local operators to maintain the pumps and monitor the facility.
Joyce Tannian, founder of Water is Life Kenya, noted that now that the well is complete, community leaders call the area Nalepo which means “place that is flowing with good things.”
To donate or learn more about Water is Life Kenya, click on the organization’s web site – waterislifekenya.org.
Food Bank gets $75,000 grant from Walmart Foundation
The Food Bank of Delaware today announced a $75,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to help fight hunger in Delaware through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) education and outreach.
SNAP is the largest federal program dedicated to providing aid to millions of low-income individuals and families in food insecure communities. Yet, 17 percent of Americans eligible for SNAP currently do not receive this benefit. Only 42 percent of eligible seniors are enrolled.
“One in six children in Delaware have limited or no access to nutritious food; food that is essential in their educational and social development. At the Food Bank of Delaware, we work tirelessly to help fill this need, but programs like SNAP can boost the supply of nutritious food in a child’s household, something our community really needs,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Patricia Beebe.
With this grant, the Food Bank of Delaware hopes to scale access to SNAP among eligible households, with particular emphasis on reaching seniors, families with children, and other vulnerable populations. Funding will support the Food Bank’s efforts to implement the Hunger Vital Signs food insecurity screening at health care providers.
The Food Bank will offer training and assistance to healthcare staff at community-based centers on implementing food insecurity screening and providing referral resources for food insecure clients including SNAP and other publicly available resources to help promote health and nutrition knowledge.. Upon receiving a referral, a Food Bank of Delaware SNAP Outreach team member will contact the client to screen them for SNAP eligibility and schedule an application appointment.
According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service Report, SNAP is critical to moving families into long-term food security.
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation provide donations of both food and funds to the Feeding America nationwide network of 200 food banks. Locally, Walmart delivered close to 600,000 pounds of food to the Food Bank of Delaware last year, and since 2016, donated close to $500,000.
Service Day held in Sussex County
Volunteers from across Delmarva served non-profits during the Hands & Feet Service Day sponsored by Delaware Electric Cooperative, and organized by The Bridge Christian radio station.
Hands & Feet volunteers were deployed to Noah’s ARC Animal Rescue and Therapy Training Facility in Magnolia to repair fences and buildings. In Bridgeville, the Home of Hope Women’s Recovery Center watched as hundreds of bricks were removed to improve the campus landscape. T.E.A.M. Ministries by Love INC in Seaford made strides to prepare their facility for year-round service with the help of volunteers.
In total, 160 volunteers served the selected non-profit organizations. Other tasks included cleaning, organizing, moving furniture, scraping paint, loading recycling and trash trailers, high dusting, landscaping and more.
The Bridge is a non-profit, community-supported Christian music radio station.
Delmarva Power wins Angel Award
Delmarva Power received the 2018 Angel Award from Beautiful Gate Outreach Center based in Wilmington.
The award recognizes Delmarva Power’s 15-year partnership with the organization. During this time, Delmarva Power has provided more than $25,000 in support of the Beautiful Gate Outreach Center’s work toward HIV/AIDS prevention and education.
Delmarva Power’s Community Outreach Team also provides educational and resource assistance to the center through energy assistance presentations, information on the Low Income Energy Assistanc Program and related services.
In 2017, Delmarva Power contributed more than $1.3 million to local nonprofits, while its employees volunteered 11,300 hours to help hundreds of organizations throughout Delaware and Maryland.
The Beautiful Gate Outreach Center works to eliminate the spread of HIV/AIDS and assist in the continuous care of those infected with and affected by the disease throughout Delaware.
Buccini/Pollin associates offer Buckets of Love
Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. late last month held an afternoon of celebration for their 25th anniversary
Associates enjoyed a restaurant crawl along Market Street that concluded at the new Residences at Mid-town Park.
Each associate put together a bucket of love consisting of toys, art supplies, activities and a note of encouragement for a local child exposed to domestic violence. Aiding children in Wilmington is a cause championed by company co-founders Chris and Rob Buccini.
BPG associate Mandi Lemons teamed up with Buckets of Love, a Jefferson award-winning local charity founded by two sisters from Delaware.
“It was truly a gift for our associates to have the opportunity to work with these two inspirational young ladies that are Co-Founders of a charity impacting hundreds of children annually,” Lemon said.
Child Inc., the recipient of the 200 buckets of love, will be distributing the buckets to children exposed to homelessness, domestic violence and abuse in Wilmington.
“Child Inc. was thrilled to receive the 200 Buckets of Love for the children we serve,” says Lori Sitler, executive director.
