While kids across the nation have either started school, or will be starting school in the next week or two, students in Ferguson, MO have had their start of school delayed because of protests and excessive law enforcement presence in the area. The civil unrest is impacting their lives in ways many don’t realize.
Many students in the Ferguson area depend on free lunches at school and the delay in the start of school is having an impact on their families. Julianna Mendelsohn, a fifth grade teacher in North Carolina, decided to step in to offer these children and their families some much-needed support by starting a fundly campaign.
On her fundly.com page, the public school teacher says, “As the world watches the events unfolding in Ferguson, many people have thought “how can I help?”. As a public school teacher, my first thought is always about the children involved in any tragic situation like this. When I found out school had been canceled for several days as a result of the civil unrest, I immediately became worried for the students in households with food instability. Many children in the US eat their only meals of the day, breakfast and lunch, at school. With school out, kids are undoubtedly going hungry.”
To date, Mendelsohn’s page has raised close to $150,000 with over 4500 supporters. If you are interested in learning more about her campaign and donating click here.