It’s time once again for our favorite weekly assignment. Here are a few of the local stories that put smiles on our faces this week.
In Arkansas, we’re used to seeing discouraging food insecurity statistics, especially when it comes to our kids. That’s why it was such a breath of fresh air to see these numbers, with many local school districts and teachers stepping up across the state to deliver meals to their students.
In other food-related news, as the Arkansas Foodbank faces huge demands, it teamed up with a new program that’s also helping one of the hardest-hit industries. The Get Shift Done program hires out-of-work restaurant and service industry workers to box supplies for hungry families. Bonus: You can donate here to keep the program going.
We’ve seen cloth mask sewers and face shield builders, but this week Roberts Elementary student Ethan Gong stepped up to help the front line. Gong used a 3D printer to make nearly 100 ear protectors for health care workers wearing masks around the clock at UAMS.
As stories roll out about the impact of COVID-19 on our homeless neighbors, it’s clear this will be one of the hardest-hit groups. Family Promise of Pulaski County is helping to slow the spread by installing public hand-washing stations around downtown, which are averaging about 5,600 washes a week.
The central Arkansas chapter of Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, a volunteer organization made up of veterans and first responders, has been pounding the pavement since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. They’ve delivered masks, prescriptions, cleaning supplies and more, including 772 commodity boxes (that’s 12,274 pounds of food) to elderly and low income residents in 12 local apartment complexes.