DMN Charities’ summer campaign raises nearly $155,000 for programs that feed hungry children

The Dallas Morning News Charities raised nearly $155,000 in its Kids’ Summer Feeding Campaign benefiting nine North Texas nonprofits that offer summer programs to feed hungry children.

The total exceeded the event’s $150,000 goal and far surpassed the $114,485 raised in the 2019 Kids’ Summer Feeding Campaign.

Grant Moise, publisher and president of The News, said the success of this year’s fundraising drive made him extremely proud.

“Our summer campaign is especially important due to the fact that many children in the D-FW area have limited access to healthy meals,” Moise said. “As many of us know, summertime is supposed to be a time of fun and play for children, not a time where they should worry about where they will find their next meal.

“Thanks to the continued support of our generous members, these children will have one less thing to worry about this summer,” he said.

This is the DMN Charities’ fourth summer feeding campaign. It ran May 25-July 7 and raised $154,952 through 272 gifts.

Last summer, the Kids’ Summer Feeding Campaign was shelved in favor of an effort to help the broader North Texas population by raising money for 23 North Texas charities that were hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. More than $505,000 was pulled in during that drive.

Camille Grimes, DMN Charities executive director, said every gift to this year’s campaign would make a difference for summer programs supporting North Texas children.

“We are so grateful for the support of our donors to help our underserved communities,” Grimes said.

Karen Williams, chairwoman of the DMN Charities board of directors, also praised donors for their benevolence and for helping the campaign to meet its objective and then some.

“Exceeding that goal, and what that means to our community, is a testament to the desire of North Texans to help their neighbors,” Williams said.

The nine agencies receiving funds include All Community Outreach, Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, Cornerstone CDC, Crossroads Community Services, Frisco Family Services, Mission Oak Cliff, Network of Community Ministries, the North Texas Food Bank and Sharing Life Community Outreach.

In May, Sharing Life started weekly distributions of backpacks with five days’ worth of breakfast, lunch and snack items to children in ZIP codes across Dallas, Kaufman and Rockwall counties.

Teresa Jackson, Sharing Life’s CEO and executive director, said the agency’s Nourish2Flourish backpack program is important during the summer, when children do not receive free meals through school.

“We want to continue to grow that program every summer, and we’ve been able to do that since the Dallas Morning News Charities has begun this new summer initiative,” she said. “So, it’s very helpful to us.”

Jackson said Sharing Life plans to distribute 8,000-10,000 backpacks by Aug. 5.

“We love being a part of the Charities’ family,” she said. “It’s critical to our success, and we are grateful for the summer campaign because it provides for a very special need for these kids.”