How School Meal Service has Changed During COVID-19 This is a guest blog post by Libby Israel, Nebraska Appleseed’s Youth Ambassador for Food and Nutrition Access. It has been nearly a full year since child nutrition programs across the country were turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing safety-related closures, added risk, and remote learning models, nutrition directors have… Read more →
Currently, EVERY school in the state has the opportunity to implement afterschool suppers and snacks through the CACFP Afterschool Program. This is a guest blog post by Nebraska Appleseed’s Food and Nutrition Access youth ambassador, Libby Israel. Around 20 million children in the U.S. leave school each day not knowing if their next meal will have to wait until they… Read more →
This is a guest blog post by Libby Israel, Nebraska Appleseed’s Youth Ambassador for Food and Nutrition Access. October is Farm to School Month! Child nutrition has been at the core of our work and together with our communities, we fought against food insecurity. Farm to School has been a parallel part of that work. The Nebraska Appleseed-led Go Big… Read more →
***For Immediate Release*** Thursday, July 23, 2020 Contacts: Micky Devitt, Heartland Workers Center C: (402) 403-9864 micky@heartlandworkerscenter.org Magdalena Cazarez Communications Director, Nebraska Appleseed C: (402) 504-0074 mcazarez@neappleseed.org Statewide Organizations Call on Legislature for Urgently Needed Meatpacking COVID-19 Protections Too many family members at risk, protections cannot wait until next legislative session NEBRASKA — On Thursday, July 23, 25 Nebraska community organizations,… Read more →
At Nebraska Is Home we know that vibrant communities are ones in which people from all different backgrounds respect and celebrate each other’s values and talents. In celebration of June Immigrant Heritage Month, we began sharing stories from some of the immigrants who bring vitality and passion to Nebraska. There are so many wonderful immigrants and refugees that call Nebraska… Read more →
At Nebraska Is Home we know that vibrant communities are ones in which people from all different backgrounds respect and celebrate each other’s values and talents. In celebration of June as Immigrant Heritage Month, we want to share a few stories from some of the immigrants who bring vitality and passion to Nebraska. Meet Nibras, a young global leader who… Read more →
Growing Families For Foster Care Awareness Month in May 2018, Vic Klafter, who was an intern at the time and is now a community organizer for our Collective Impact Lincoln program, made a podcast about the state of foster care in Nebraska, specifically around the intersections of LGBTQ+ identities and foster care and the juvenile justice system and foster care.… Read more →
Building a Solid Foundation Note: This is a guest blog post from child welfare advocate, Cindy Reed. I’ve been incredibly blessed. I was a stay-at-home mom while I was finishing my undergraduate degree. I was able to use the work I moved into for my practicum, and I helped build a movement for youth-engaged practice in my state. I come… Read more →
Supporting youth in foster care during the pandemic Note: This is a guest blog post from YHDP Coordinator for Dodge County, Roxanne Knobbe. Hello! My name is Roxanne Knobbe and I am the YHDP Coordinator for Dodge County, Nebraska at Care Corps’ LifeHouse. YHDP stands for Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project. HUD awarded Nebraska funding for unconnected youth typically between the… Read more →
Join Us Today to #ThankAHungerHero Note: This is a guest blog post from Economic Justice Fellows, Temi Onayemi and Claire Breen. Today community members across the nation will be thanking Hunger Heroes serving school meals to kids even though schools are closed! We will be joining the national nonprofit, No Kid Hungry, and the rest of the United States in… Read more →
Note: This is a guest post from Rich Patton, Nebraska Appleseed volunteer. My name is Rich Patton. I am retired from 37 years of award-winning public school service (teacher, principal, special education director, superintendent). In retirement, I am a performing musician. During the Insure the Good Life campaign in 2018, I volunteered to circulate petitions, deliver letters, and have written… Read more →
Note: This is a guest post from Nedhal Al-kazahy, Nebraska Appleseed’s former Child Welfare Youth Fellow. Hey all, I’m back! As many of yall know, it’s foster care awareness month so let’s talk about foster care. For those of you that have been following my blogs, you know that I was in foster care for 14 years and I have… Read more →
Note: This is a guest post from Carol Russell, an Omaha resident, Appleseed volunteer, and monthly donor. I’m a native Nebraskan, born and raised in Omaha. I attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, ending with a Masters Degree in Pathology. I did cancer research at UNMC, but my main “career” was volunteering in the… Read more →
$5,000 Grants Available to Help Nebraska Schools Start the Day With a Win Note: This is a guest post from Bailey Hansen, Appleseed’s Youth Ambassador Breakfast at school can be hard to get to for many students thanks to busy mornings, late buses, or before-school extracurricular activities. However, schools that serve breakfast through Grab and Go, Breakfast in the… Read more →
Note: This is a guest post from Natalie Bielenberg, Nebraska Appleseed’s Child Welfare Intern. On February 9, 2018, the Trump Administration signed into law the bipartisan Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), with a number of significant changes made to the Act. The FFPSA gave states the flexibility to use federal Title IV-E funds to improve prevention through upfront, evidence-based… Read more →
Note: This a guest post from Bailey Hansen, Appleseed’s Youth Ambassador During the school year, breakfast and lunch served at school may be the only meals kids and teens get during the week. But what happens when school ends and summer begins? Many Nebraska families are left scrambling to cover the gap and make ends meet. That’s where summer meals… Read more →
Magdalena Cazarez, also known as Maggie, has been leading our communications work since joining Appleseed in April. From Omaha, Maggie is a proud alumna of UNL’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s passionate about reframing narratives and conversations through thoughtful and creative storytelling. She has experience in branding, marketing, graphic design, and digital communications. “I’m excited to be back… Read more →
Note: This is a guest post from Bobbi Taylor, Nebraska Appleseed’s Child Welfare Youth Fellow. My biggest fear is failure. I use that fear to fuel the drive in myself everyday. That never used to be a fear, until I entered the foster care system. I cannot count the times that placement staff, caseworkers, foster parents, and my own… Read more →
Note: This is a guest post from Nedhal Al-kazahy, Nebraska Appleseed’s Child Welfare Youth Fellow. Click here to read Nedhal’s first blog post from May 2018. Since beginning my internship at Nebraska Appleseed in April 2018, I’ve had many amazing opportunities come my way. I’ve used my experience as an advocate. I created a Tips sheet on how to have successful… Read more →
***For Immediate Release*** March 27, 2019 Contact: James Goddard Economic Justice Program Director, Nebraska Appleseed Office: (402) 438-8853, Ext. 108 Email: jgoddard@neappleseed.org Nebraska legislature misses critical opportunity to help Nebraskans meet basic needs, address overcrowding in Nebraska prisons LINCOLN – Today, the Nebraska legislature struck down LB 169, a bill that would have ended a ban on providing critical food… Read more →
Note: This blog is part of our continuing series examining foster care in Nebraska during Foster Care Awareness Month in May. This is a guest post from Appleseed intern Nedhal Al-kazahy about her experience growing up in Nebraska’s foster care system. My name is Nedhal, I was a foster youth for 14 years. At the age of 5, my siblings and… Read more →
This is a guest post by Appleseed health care intern Suzie Cho. In recent months, there has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Despite that, the national trend shows that more people have been signing up for marketplace coverage than in previous years. For many Nebraskans like Rayna Collins, the current… Read more →
Congress is risking Nebraskans’ health coverage as part of its tax plan, and we’re asking you to make a call today to keep it from happening. Please call both of our U.S. Senators. Tell them the Senate tax bill must not repeal the ACA’s individual mandate or result in cuts to Medicare. These changes would cause many Nebraskans to… Read more →
Note: This is a guest post from Sebastian, an Appleseed child welfare intern. I advocate for reform of the foster care system, because I know what it is like to move from home to home and not have my needs met in the system. I am writing this blog to introduce myself and ask you to be an advocate too.… Read more →
Note: Part of fighting for positive change in our communities means getting to work with outstanding, like-minded volunteer partners who share our goal of expanding justice and opportunity in Nebraska. Periodically, we will feature individuals and organizations with whom we have been fortunate to work to build a brighter future in our state. This is a guest post from Appleseed… Read more →
