As COVID-era benefits near expiration, a recent Child Wellness Summit brought together nonprofits to tackle urgent child well-being and food-insecurity issues. Missouri families grappling with inflation and high living costs are facing increased challenges, particularly in providing food, utilities and health care for children. Jocelyn Fundoukos, director of communications for Operation Food Search, said that Missouri s child poverty rate doubled in 2022, leaving one in six children at risk of hunger. .
Volunteering is a "leap of faith" - donating time and in-kind support to help others who are struggling - but research shows people who pitch in, improve their own mental and physical health. Barbara Guenther is the manager of volunteer programs for New Mexico s Roadrunner Food Bank. She said volunteers aren t always sure what they re getting into, but typically describe the experience as very rewarding. .
Public libraries are known for their quiet settings, but in the coming days, staff leaders in South Dakota and elsewhere will be vocal about the threat library systems around the country are facing, in calls for book bans. Monday, April 24 has been designated Right to Read Day by the American Library Association. It marks the anniversary of the group s Unite Against Book Bans campaign. .
As the number of electric vehicles on Illinois roads grows, so does the danger of injury for emergency medical technicians and firefighters responding to EV accidents. The auto industry is beginning to offer training for first responders - particularly those in rural areas - to deal with the high voltage and other dangers found in EVs. Beginning next week in suburban Chicago, General Motors and the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute will kick off a national tour, offering two days of information and training. .
Members of Ketchikan Garden Club and Ketchikan Community Gardens hosted a day-long "Spring Garden Expo" on April 1 at the Ketchikan Public Library, which offered workshops, classes, a tuber exchange,