The CARE Center collecting snacks, books for upcoming summer learning program

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Over the summer, some students will face food insecurity and loss of knowledge while they’re out of school.

The CARE Center, a partner agency of the United Way of Madison County (UWMC), is working to combat both issues.

According to the executive director of The CARE Center Andrea Bridges, the organization has a school-based education initiative called “Fuel Their Hunger to Learn,” in collaboration with the Madison County School System, UWMC and the Alabama Department of Education.

Bridges said that the initiative includes “bags of blessings,” which are weekend food support for kids who are most in need, school-day tutors, and high-quality after-school and summer learning programs.

The start of the summer learning program is coming up, on Monday, June 3, 2024, through Friday, June 28, 2024. They plan to serve around 300 children from New Hope Elementary, Owens Cross Roads and Madison County Elementary Schools.

“Research shows that children can lose as much as 3 to 6 months of knowledge over the summer, and when poverty is considered in the equation, the results are much worse,” Bridges said.

The CARE Center, located at 5410 Main Drive in New Hope, is asking for donations of individually wrapped snacks, bottles of water and K-8th grade appropriate books.

The kids will get a snack each day, totaling 6,000 snacks, and Bridges said they’re hoping to send home a few books per child to start building their own libraries at home. They’d like to collect 1,200 books by May 1.

Those donations can be dropped off at the CARE Center, or mailed to PO Box 51, New Hope, AL 35760.

For more information about the snacks they need, the book drives and an Amazon wish list for snacks, click here.

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