“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
(Matthew 25:40)
Quick Stats of Childhood Poverty:
22% of children who have lived in poverty (even temporarily) drop out of school compared to the overall dropout rate of 6%
High-poverty districts spend 15.6% less on each student than those in more affluent districts. This can result in less student retention, lower earning potential after graduation, and high poverty rates in adulthood.
As of October 2023, Nashua had the 2nd highest rate of students enrolled in free lunch, 2nd only to Manchester and about 3x the amount of Concord enrollments
Many programs, both secular and religious, focus on meeting the immediate needs of children and families experiencing poverty
What is so unique about Youth Enrichment and Support (YES) is that it’s all about
ACCOMPANIMENT
The National Institute on Health reports that these types of relationships have a positive impact on academic functioning, self-esteem, and decrease both behavior problems and the risk of substance misuse.
The goal of the YES program is to raise up dedicated and skilled volunteers from within our congregation and to send them out to programs in the community that provide transitional housing to families. Our volunteers provide support with babysitting, games, and other enrichment activities to be another supportive, non-parental adult in the lives of these kids.
We are partnering with Front Door Agency and Family Promise, two amazing non-profits that offer transitional housing to families in need.
The Front Door Agency’s mission is to provide a holistic approach to break the cycle of poverty by assisting individuals and families to stabilize, transform, and become empowered to ultimately achieve sustainable independence.
Family Promise’s mission is to end homelessness, one family at a time, because every child deserves a home. Through safe housing and education, Family Promise guides families as they break the cycle, and rise from homelessness to sustainable independence.
Email Deacon George to learn more!