Every year, the global community comes together to observe GivingTuesday, a day dedicated to inspiring individuals to support their communities through advocacy, financial contributions, and volunteerism. It’s always on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, and in 2023, it fell on November 28.
This year, we set our sights on making a substantial impact in our community by donating $3,000 to a single cause. Four options were presented to Linn Area Credit Union employees, and we overwhelmingly decided to help cover the negative school lunch balance at a local school, West Willow Elementary. This will help hundreds of kids while decreasing the end-of-the-year bill for the school.
Many families struggle with the high cost of food. If families aren’t able to pay for their child’s lunch, the school’s nutritional program takes on the debt and relies upon donations to pay off balances. The Cedar Rapids Community School District has a combined free- and reduced-lunch status of 56%. Out of 14,697 students, 7,311 are designated free lunch, while 990 are at the reduced rate. If you would like to donate to reducing a school’s lunch balance, please connect with the Cedar Rapids Community School District Foundation.
We were very excited to participate in GivingTuesday and make a difference in our community again this year!