Your Support Is Reaching Over 1,000 Families
A week and a half ago DPS announced that schools would be closing. Since that moment, our community has come together in an incredible demonstration of support and caring for each other. Since we emailed about urgently needed funds for students impacted by school closures, 841 people have given $112,412!
We are amazed by this outpouring of care for and from our community. There are two priorities for these funds. First, we have established a COVID-19 Critical Needs Fund to provide flexible, immediate, and emergency funds to DPS. These dollars will be used to meet instructional and other student needs as they emerge and fill gaps in federal support, which is still uncertain. We are working in close partnership with Superintendent Mubenga and his leadership team to identify these needs and we will keep you posted as this develops.
The other urgent need your donations support is getting meals to students and families. Because of your financial support we were able to deliver complete, nutritious family meals - like BBQ pulled chicken with mixed veggies and mashed potatoes - to the doorsteps of nearly 1,000 households last weekend, feeding an estimated 4,000 people.
This was a complex effort made possible through partnerships. We worked with caterers to find a price point that allowed them to cover labor and food costs but keep it low enough to extend our reach to families. This had the added benefit of helping keep employees working - one catering team member told us this was the first day she’d worked in a week. Web developers at Code the Dream donated their expertise to create a meal sign-up form that verifies addresses for google maps to ensure meals would make it to families. Our team of staff, board members, and volunteers created detailed procedures based on CDC recommendations that prioritized the health and safety of everyone who participated.
Once those pieces were in place, DPS connected us to families with urgent food needs and within 48 hours over 1,000 people responded. We also put the word out to the Durham community that we needed 64 drivers to deliver the meals--and more than 800 people volunteered to help.
Everyone who signed up received a meal last weekend. We are so proud, but we know there is a lot of work left to do. Yesterday, Governor Cooper announced that schools will be closed until at least May 15th. The many thousands of DPS students on free-and-reduced price lunch and their families are in a vulnerable position. We plan to build on the infrastructure we put in place, delivering more meals this weekend. We are also talking with partners about other supports we can deliver like books and diapers.
If you haven't had a chance to contribute yet or you want to give again, please make a donation at www.bullcityschools.org and share this need with your friends and neighbors. Your ongoing support will make it possible for us to continue this effort over the coming weeks.
I hope you'll stay in touch and spread the word about this work we are doing together for our students. The 33,000 students in Durham Public Schools are our future -- we must have their backs, especially in a time of crisis.
Keep an eye out for a special announcement in a couple of days on other ways to support.