Giving Wednesday is October 26! The funds raised will support our critical mental health programming. We are so grateful to Smile Station Pediatric Dentistry for their generous match and would appreciate you spreading the word to family and friends to boost support!
Another month into the school year and we are as busy as ever! Completely KIDS had the honor and privilege of dedicating our headquarters to Penny Parker, our CEO of 30 years who retired last year. When you drive down St. Mary’s Ave, you will now see a sign that says, “Penny’s Place”! Completely KIDS at Penny’s Place will continue to offer all of the same incredible programs that we all love and we are so excited to honor Penny’s decades of leadership in this way as we continue to grow as an agency.
As I walk the halls of our building, I’ve been thinking a lot about the strain on family finances, particularly when it comes to the grocery store. We have gone from distributing 600 bags a week of Weekend Food, that cost approximately $12.50 per bag, to packing 855 bags a week that cost over $15 each! Because of the generosity of our donor base, we have been able to absorb that increase so far but our reserve funding for Weekend Food will run out by the end of 2022. We are exploring options for trying to bring the costs down, but the reality is that we need to raise more money for this program if we want to continue to serve this many children.
Overall, as we close out the month of October and cozy up watching a Husker game or however you enjoy your downtime, I would like to thank you again for supporting Completely KIDS. The work we do makes a difference every single day and we could not do it without you.