The growth in global giving was largely due to increased in-kind donations in the U.S. to local food banks and families impacted by disasters.

In Pennsylvania, Walmart gave more than $19.7 million, supporting nonprofits such as Philabundance, the Urban League of Philadelphia, Cradles to Crayons, Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA, Dress for Success and the Philly Police Athletic League, the retail giant said.

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When Kelly Davis started working at the Lutheran Settlement House (LSH) two years ago, the building’s food pantry was open just once a month due to a lack of storage space for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Soon after, as Davis was returning home, she noticed that a senior citizen served by LSH was picking through a trashcan for food. This would prove to be a turning point for Davis and the long-established community center.

“It struck me that this should not be the case,” said Davis, who is now executive director of LSH. She added that, “often times, the lunch that our seniors get in our center is the only meal they eat.”

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On April 24, volunteers from Lutheran Settlement House, 1340 Frankford Ave., Walmart, and the Federation of Neighborhood Centers (FNC) helped build 24 garden beds as part of a new urban farm at 1400 Frankford Ave.

The farm will be the harvesting site for FNC’s Teens 4 Good (T4G) program, a youth-led food production and nutrition business that will teach teens job skills and supply food for LSH’s food cupboard.

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The funds will be used for the Salvation Army’s peer-mentoring program, which serves parents who are struggling with hunger and food insecurity while raising young children.

Overall through 2015, Walmart has earmarked $2 billion in cash- and in-kind commitments for programs that help break the cycle of poverty, violence and hunger in America.

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A spokesman for the human-services agency said the gift will be presented next Thursday.

The agency will use the money to support its new Peer Mentoring Program, which is based on Witnesses to Hunger, part of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities at Drexel University’s School of Public Health.

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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (April 29, 2013) – On May 9, The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia will accept a donation from The Walmart Foundation towards its programs to help break the cycle of poverty, violence, and hunger in the city. The $100,000 donation will support The Salvation Army’s new Peer Mentoring Program which is based upon the successful Witnesses to Hunger program partnership with the Center for Hunger-Free Communities at the Drexel University School of Public Health.

The donation will allow The Salvation Army to establish a similar program using Witnesses to Hunger’s “Peer Mentor Model” at several of its neighborhood community centers for one year to provide far-reaching access for city residents in need of social services. The program will run daily at The Salvation Army Temple Corps Community Center located at 1340 Brown Street in center city, and will run once weekly at The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center as well as The Salvation Army Tabernacle Corps Community Center located at 3150 North Mascher Street. The Tabernacle Center will offer a bilingual peer mentor to serve the Hispanic community. Three part-time mentors will share the responsibilities of leading sessions.

“Walmart and the Salvation Army have a long history of partnering in Philadelphia to address some of the most important and urgent issues facing city residents, like hunger and emergency response,” said Jason Klipa, Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations, Walmart Stores. “Walmart is very proud to continue our partnership with the Salvation Army by supporting the Peer Mentoring pilot program in North Philadelphia and building upon one of our core areas of focus, fighting hunger in America.  Walmart has dedicated $2 billion in cash and in-kind commitments through 2015 toward this goal and the Peer Mentoring Program is an important part of that effort in Philadelphia.”

The Peer Mentoring Program will serve parents who struggle with hunger and food insecurity who are raising young children. The Salvation Army will lead several 12-week-long series of “SELF Groups,” which touch upon Safety, Emotions, Loss, and Future in order to provide the following services to clients:

• Counseling from mothers who have struggled with food insecurity in the past
• Individual support focused on health and wellness
• On-site training in computer and financial literacy to promote independence
• Referrals for additional social services

Sandy Sheller, assistant clinical professor at the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions and longtime volunteer with The Salvation Army, learned of Dr. Mariana Chilton’s photo journalism project with Witnesses to Hunger and noticed the great synergy between the missions of both organizations.

“Many people in our community find themselves in predicaments where they need social services or food assistance, but their pride is damaged along the way,” Sheller said. “The Salvation Army has been an amazing organization for the community, and shares the same morals and principles as the Witnesses to Hunger program mission. More than just receiving a handout, witnesses in the program learn to manage emotions and the effects of trauma on their lives.”

“We are so excited about the implementation of this new program for our community,” Susan Brotherton, director of social services for The Salvation Army, said. “We’re extremely grateful for this new partnership with Walmart, which will raise the standards of holistic care in the city of Philadelphia and will help us to serve those in the most need.”

For more information about The Salvation Army’s efforts to support our struggling neighbors, visit www.SalvationArmyPhiladelphia.org.

About The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia:

The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia is a faith-based, comprehensive human service organization whose programs help individuals, families and whole communities lead healthier, safer and more productive lives. The Salvation Army is equipped to respond to both acute disasters such as fires and floods as well as the daily, ongoing struggles of the region’s less fortunate individuals. The Army has a 134-year record of accomplishment of success stemming from its holistic approach to providing for the needs of the whole individual – physically, emotionally, economically and spiritually. The Army’s programming operates from 16 community centers and residential facilities throughout the Philadelphia region offering shelter, hot meals, counseling, early childhood development, recreational opportunities, music programs, after-school arts and educational programs, job training, activities for older adults, spiritual development, and drug rehabilitation. For more information, please visit www.SalvationArmyPhiladelphia.org.

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2013 Pennsylvania Dropout Prevention Summit set for May 2 at Harrisburg University

HARRISBURG, Pa., (May 1, 2013) — Walmart and the Walmart Foundation today announced a $150,000 grant to help Communities in Schools of Pennsylvania (CISPa) finance the creation of the Pennsylvania Dropout Prevention Resource Center (PaDPRC). The center will serve as a clearinghouse for educators and community members to aid their shared efforts to help at-risk youth stay in school.

“Helping to build stronger communities is a major part of what we do at Walmart,” said Kurt Herkert, Walmart Director of Operations in Pennsylvania. “The key to creating a more effective work force and better communities is keeping kids in school — and that’s exactly what Communities in Schools is doing. This new resource center will yield immediate and lasting results for Pennsylvania.”

Communities in Schools of Pennsylvania will convene its 2013 Pennsylvania Dropout Prevention Summit at Harrisburg University on Thursday, May 2, featuring First Lady Susan Corbett and several leading education and dropout prevention experts.

“The dropout crisis affects everyone in the Commonwealth. From businesses not being able to hire qualified candidates to the huge impact on tax revenue and the burden placed on social services, it’s an issue we cannot afford to ignore,” said Nathan Mains, state director for Communities in Schools of Pennsylvania, part of a national network that assists works to ensure students graduate on time.

The vast number of high school dropouts negatively affects Pennsylvania’s economic and social standing every year, Mains explained. In addition to the 12,000 young people who will drop out of school this year, nearly 30,000 students are not graduating on time.

The new resource center will function as a one-stop shop for research and allow users to access indicators that will help schools identify and implement solutions for potential dropouts. The new tool also will serve as a resource for trainings, program support and information for advocacy and policy development.

“Ensuring that children remain in school is critical to promoting their independence, reducing their reliance on public benefits and decreasing their involvement in the critical justice system,” said Beverly D. Mackereth, acting secretary of the state Department of Public Welfare. “I am honored to be a part of this important initiative, it is a prime example of businesses and communities working together to help Pennsylvania’s children stay in school and grow into successful adults.”

Acting Secretary Mackereth and Judge Dwayne Woodruff, along with Herkert, serve as co-chairmen of the committee helping to oversee management of the resource center. Acting Secretary Mackereth and Judge Woodruff also will help to direct the summit, which is being sponsored by Walmart.

The state currently has no comprehensive resource that effectively responds to the dropout crisis across the state.

Communities in Schools of Pennsylvania has set a target of helping 56,250 at-risk youth within the opening year of the Pennsylvania Dropout Prevention Resource Center (PaDPRC). The resource center already has helped more than 750 educators and community leaders since January 1 through online Webinar series.

Aside from helping to fund development, the Walmart grant also will help PaDPRC in its initial year respond to the needs of educators with at-risk populations of students.

This grant was awarded through the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program. Through this program, the Walmart Foundation supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better. The Walmart Foundation State Giving Program strives to award grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the United States.

In Pennsylvania, Walmart stores, Sam’s Club locations and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $17 million in cash and in-kind donations to local organizations in 2011. Through additional funds donated by customers, and Walmart and Sam’s Club associates throughout the state, the retailer’s contributions in Pennsylvania totaled more than $20.6 million.

To be considered for support, perspective grantee organizations must submit applications through the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program’s online grant application. Applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in order to meet the program’s minimum eligibility criteria. Additional information about the program’s funding guidelines and application process are available online at www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving.

“We are pleased to be joined by our guest today, First Lady Michelle Obama.  Mrs. Obama speaks movingly about the service, strength, and sacrifice of our current generation of troops, veterans, and military families.  It is a personal privilege to share some of her work and to start our discussion around creating opportunity for this new group of heroes.

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