When we provide teachers and students with necessary resources for learning, we can work to solve the Opportunity Gap for future generations of young people. This is why we are so proud to expand our partnership with Kids In Need Foundation, an organization dedicated to ensuring that under-resourced teachers and students have essential supplies all year long.
This winter, we hit the road with Kids In Need Foundation to support two of their mid-year school supply replenishment initiatives, HALFTIME and SUPER GOAL! See more below from our team’s cross-country adventures, as they met some amazing young people and their equally amazing educators.
American Licorice Company very recently began to call Lancaster, Texas one of its new homes, shipping our first order from the new Texas distribution facility the same week as our first HALFTIME program with Kids in Need Foundation!
We were so excited to join the Kids In Need Foundation team at John J. Pershing Elementary in Dallas, alongside Dallas special teams captain C.J. Goodwin and safety Tyler Coyle! These amazing athletes were on site to encourage students to strive for success during the second semester, and helped volunteers deliver boxes of much-needed school supplies to the students and their teachers.
Nearly 3 out of 4 students run out of school supplies by the end of the first semester, often putting teachers in the position to buy new supplies with their own funds so that their students will have what they need for the rest of the year. Kids In Need Foundation’s HALFTIME initiative is looking to help by providing core supplies to under-resourced teachers and their students nationwide.
“All of our crayons are broken, and our markers are drying up, so this is amazing.”
With one HALFTIME event in Texas under our belts, our crew regrouped for the next event in South Bend, Indiana. This time, we surprised teachers at Lincoln Elementary School with a special delivery of supplies for their students – along with some Sour Punch candy, of course!
But the surprises didn’t stop there.
Legendary Hall of Fame Coach Lou Holtz joined the group virtually to talk to the teachers and provide them with a little inspiration to start the new year. He encouraged them to keep persevering through challenging moments in and out of the classroom, noting their impact is unmatched in our society.
“I can assure you, you are making a difference in people’s lives. And there aren’t many people in this country that can say that like a teacher can.”
“I’m proud to call the Kids in Need Foundation one of our best partners, I don’t think we’ve ever had a dull moment. I always leave these events knowing that I have made a difference in someone’s life.”
Being a part of HALFTIME events in our local communities left us feeling very inspired, and proud of our partners and friends at Kids In Need Foundation. Between just these two events, over 100 teachers received supply boxes, providing support to over 2,500 local students! We couldn’t wait to join them again in Phoenix for SUPER GOAL 2023.
The SUPER GOAL event took place at Skyline Prep High School in Phoenix, Arizona just days before the big game. During the event, a crew of American Licorice volunteers were onsite alongside 300 local volunteers to fill 10,000 backpacks with school supplies.
Volunteers were joined by current and former professional football players for this massive backpack build, including Lorenzo Alexander, Sam Acho, Drew Stanton, Zach Moore, Jacob Johnson, Marcus Smith and Nikki Dean, mother of Philadelphia linebacker Nakobe Dean who played in Sunday’s game.
Visit Kids In Need Foundation to learn more about & support their amazing work:
All photos provided courtesy of KIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION
