Look what we were able to accomplish in one night in the face of the SNAP disruptions! Thank you so much for your generosity! Your donations are already making an impact on our community. This truly is the #westendbestendatl

The donations were delivered today to Mr. Brown, the Social Worker at Herman J. Russell West End Academy (HJRWEA), to be distributed through the school’s family resource room, which is located just inside the building’s main entrance.

Mr. Brown attended WEND’s November meeting and asked WEND members for specific support for HJRWEA Scholars, including the following:

• Beautification and organization of clothing closet and food pantry
• Assistance with sourcing/purchasing attendance incentives. HJRWEA hosts weekly attendance parties for kids, as the kids need prizes to come to school. Students who’ve had perfect attendance each week receive prizes like takis, fruit snacks, cookies. Any assistance in helping to sponsor those parties would be appreciated. Community members are welcome to come by to see. 53% of the school’s enrolled students were chronically absent last year, meaning that they had 18 or more total absences.
• Food drives. Over 90% of HJRWEA families rely on SNAP. Everyone is on free and reduced lunch. Mr. Brown will often go to food banks to pick up food. 
• Clothing needs – khaki pants, mesh backpacks, and coats.

It’s worth noting that this picture doesn’t include the additional 100+ items that were picked up during the drive itself by families in our community. If it did, we would have had to pull out a third table.