As we think about children going back to school, we want to highlight our grantee Evan Robbins, founder of Breaking the Chain Through Education (BTCTE). Evan is a teacher and every summer he travels to Africa bringing educational opportunities to children who are rescued from slavery and forced labor. He reports that he had quite a summer in Africa checking in on his program participants and meeting new potential students including Samuel, pictured below with Evan. Social services in Ghana brought Samuel to Breaking the Chain’s attention, and when they met him, they quickly understood why. Not only did they see his tattered shirt and broken shoes, but he also told them that he is cared for by his grandmother, who feeds him when she can… but not every day. His grandmother, who is in her 90s, was in the hospital at that time. Knowing his situation, they were surprised that he had been able to graduate from Junior High School (the equivalent of 9th grade in the United States). But when they asked how he was able to pay for his uniform and PTO fees, he told them that he worked construction jobs on the weekends—paying for his own education, and often his food. Samuel is now a part of BTCTE, has new clothing, and his education will be funded going forward. He will be able to choose secondary school or learn a trade.

Our grantee, Andrew Walker, founder of Elevate+, has just wrapped up another successful summer, providing internships for talented college students from underrepresented backgrounds—helping them gain skills, build confidence, and make a lasting impact in their host organizations. Elevate + provides equal access to formative, paid internships, recognizing that students in every community, regardless of background or zip code deserve a fair shot at building the skills, experience and networks that shape long-term success. We’re proud to support Elevate+ and its visionary leader Andrew, and we’re grateful for the dedicated leadership of Stacey, Elevate+’s Board Chair!

JLM Food Rescuers, founded by Daniella Seltzerand Itay Peled, saves usable—and delicious!— discarded produce from Jerusalem’s wholesale market and provides it to a network of volunteer food distributors from all around the city. Through their programs, they are building bridges of kindness, concern, and compassion between neighbors of every background, through food rescue and the shared desire to address food insecurity in their communities.

We purchased backpacks for Fathers Fighting 4 Fathers, founded by Markus Trent, which made it possible for Markus and his team to distribute backpacks to all who needed them at their recent back-to-school programs and support their focus on preventing truancy, strengthening family bonds, and engaging parents in their children’s education. Fathers Fighting 4 Fathers is partnering with local fire stations and other community partners in addition to their strong connections with an increasing number of Baltimore schools.

Grantee Pesia’s Kitchen/EAT, founded by Gideon Ben-Ami and led by Yoni Ben-Ami, finished up another wonderful year of impact through their successful school-based programs, which combine education about nutrition, food waste, and food insecurity with actual food distribution to school families and community members in a dignified way. This past year they expanded to reach 16 schools!