BRATTLEBORO — Lashaunda Alley, a local 23-year-old, has been awarded a Sodexo Foundation Youth Grant through YSA (Youth Service America).
The grant supports Alley and her fellow peer outreach workers at Youth Services in leading a community service project to address the issue of childhood hunger.
Service activities will take place on Global Youth Service Day, the world's largest volunteer and service event, on Friday, April 11.
Alley and her Youth Services colleagues have coordinated a substance-free dance party at the Headroom Stages in Brattleboro on April 11 from 7 to 10 p.m., open to all ages.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to benefit local food shelves, or make a cash donation to their outreach efforts. Facts, artwork, and information on ending childhood hunger will be on display at Headroom Stages during the dance.
According to Alley, ending childhood hunger is important to her “because hunger affects everyone. Last summer, Brattleboro saw a 100 percent jump in the number of children needing to participate in the summer lunch program. There were a total of 800 children and youth fed. Childhood hunger is real, and this is one of many ways for people in the community to help.”
YSA said in a press release that Alley's grant is one of 100 grants of up to $500 Sodexo Foundation awarded to youth-led projects aimed at reducing childhood hunger in communities nationwide.
“Grantees educate and mobilize their peers around the issue, creating solutions to end childhood hunger. Sodexo Foundation Youth Grants empower young people as problem-solvers working to improve the well-being and quality of life for their generation,” organizers said.
Now in its 27th year, Global Youth Service Day recognizes the positive impact that young people have on their communities 365 days a year. Global Youth Service Day is celebrated in all 50 states and in more than 135 countries.