April 23, 2020
The RPC’s Early Childhood Education Program is doing all it can for its families during the COVID-19 crisis. The program held Food Distribution Days on April 7, April 14, and April 21, making sure families with children involved with the program had food and supplies to help get them through these difficult times. RPC employees volunteered to put the boxes together and distribute them to families at the West Champaign, Urbana, and Rantoul Early Childhood Education Centers.
The first Food Distribution Day on April 7 provided 79 boxes of food to families (enough food for breakfast and lunch for five days), accounting for 228 children ages 18 and younger. The program then distributed 156 boxes on April 14. On April 21, 161 boxes were distributed, accounting for 464 children served. (April 21 also featured a partnership with U.S. Census outreach at the Rantoul and West Champaign Centers.) In addition, on all three days the families were also provided with items like diapers, wipes, toilet paper, educational activities, watercolor sets, and community resource information.
We would like to thank several members of the Early Childhood Education team for volunteering and bringing some light to the lives of many of the families in our program. They include:
West Champaign – Katie Richardson, Sara Richardson, Sheila Ellis, Chloe LaMar, Samantha Wells, Nicole Rabbers, Dana Smith, Toronda McFarland, Michael Hogue, Jacki Buckingham, Michelle Styan, Angela Purviance, Nancy Williams, Juanita Rogers, Tracy McAfee, Linda Gamble, Trey Ronk
Rantoul – Irene Weathersby, Dominique Butler, Kayla Foster, Shanice Lenoir, Amber Taylor, Maggie Potter, Veronika Cvancara, Sherri Frichtl, Nikki Butler
Urbana – Amber Barnes, Nacima Allache, Terri Holmes, Michelle Holstein, Teresa Norman, Pam Williams, Annette Musgraves, Angela Lewis, Farzana Irani
Staff from the Early Childhood Education Program also continue to contact families every week and follow up on their needs.