Much has changed since Midwest Athletics and Sports Alliance LLC (“MASA”) made its last donation. Youth sporting activities and clubs have all but shut down, and the world is trying to grasp with how to handle the coronavirus. Classes were cancelled for the remainder of the school year, and youths are now isolated at home under stay-at-home orders. As a result, more and more children are in need of access to meals they would normally be getting at schools or through other programs. And while MASA limits its contributions to youth sports activities, it also realizes there will be no youths to participate in those activities if they don’t have access to good, quality food.
That is why MASA decided to contribute $10,000 to both Completely KIDS’s and the Food Bank of the Heartland’s child hunger programs. Both organizations have great programs designed to support and feed youths across the Omaha metro area, and with our support, we are hopeful these youths will have access to the food they so desperately need. MASA looks forward to the day things go back to normal and youths are able to safely return to the activities they love. Until then, MASA thanks Completely KIDS and the Food Bank of the Heartland for all that they are doing during this difficult time.
Completely KIDS is an Omaha-based non-profit designed to ensure that families have access to the knowledge and skills necessary to break the cycle of poverty. Among others, they offer food to youths and their families to address the growing problem of hunger and food insecurity in the Omaha area. Lack of food leads to poor school performance, anxiety and health-related concerns. In 2005, Completely KIDS began distributing bags of food each weekend to kids in their after-school program. Bags of kid-friendly, nutritious food are packed each week by volunteers and can be easily prepared or opened by kids. To find out more about Completely KIDS or to find out how you can contribute to their efforts, please contact Lacey Locklear at (402) 397-5809 or lmueller@completelykids.org.
Food Bank of the Heartland is a regional non-profit designed to provide emergency and supplemental food to the people in need in Nebraska and western Iowa. Food Bank of the Heartland has several programs designed to serve needy, underserved kids, such as their BackPack Program, Kids Café, and Kids Cruis’n' Kitchen. Each program is designed to meet a specific child hunger need in the Omaha metro area. To find out more about Food Bank of the Heartland or to find out how you can contribute to their efforts, please contact Allison Oberg at (888) 382-3491, Option 3 or aoberg@foodbankheartland.org.