SAIL Begins Food Distribution
SAIL (Systems Aligned in Learning), a product of a collaborative effort between United Way of Lancaster and Luthercare that began more than five years ago, has endeavored to give Lancaster County children access to high-quality child care. Utilizing peer mentors, the program has worked with in-home child care providers in a variety of ways to offer children and their families enhanced services.
With the advent of COVID-19 and resulting restrictions, SAIL representatives knew they had to dig deeper to help families served by in-home child care providers. "One of the things we decided to do was to look at the emerging needs of the community in response to the pandemic," said Ryan Fisher, assistant vice president of philanthropy with Luthercare. What they found resulted in SAIL honing its focus. "Through our collaborative with the United Way and with Lancaster General Health as our partner, we discovered there were a large number of families served by in-home child care providers that were food insecure and qualified for distribution from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank," said Fisher.
By February, that research resulted in a pilot program that brought free produce and nonperishable foods to some of the families of the approximately 40 in-home child care providers served by SAIL mentors. Boxes of food, which included onions, cantaloupe, pasta, canned fruit, and fruit juice, were delivered through the child care providers to low-income families that had been adversely affected by the challenges of the pandemic. Child care providers also received food and hand sanitizer.
"It is our goal to continue (the program)," said Lorita Valente, executive director of community programs with Luthercare. "We plan to do it the last Thursday of every month at this point and add more (child care) providers and volunteers as we go along." Volunteers are needed to help the boxes reach families around the county, ranging from Elizabethtown to Columbia to Gap.
SAIL was part of the United Way Collective Impact Program beginning in 2016. More recently, grants from UPMC Pinnacle Foundation and the Steinman Foundation have sustained the program. "(Those grants) enabled us to implement this food program," said Fisher.
SAIL peer mentors provide a variety of services to in-home providers, including help with obtaining and renewing licensure. Fisher noted that when an in-home provider is primarily Spanish-speaking, mentors may serve as translators. Valente added that mentors will support needs as varied as picking up and delivering items necessary for the day care or providing information on healthy eating.
SAIL partners include Luthercare for Kids, the United Way of Lancaster, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, the Library System of Lancaster County, and COBYS Family Services.
Readers who are interested in volunteering to help with the food delivery may call 908-612-6450.
Leave a Review