PRESS RELEASE/MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release

Contact: Viviana Bianchi 212-206-1090 [email protected]

A Special Thanksgiving Dinner: Children turn their school cafeteria into a soup kitchen to assist those in need

New York, NY, November 13, 2013. Students and staff from The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc. (CHCF) After-School Program at PS/MS 279 (2100 Walton Ave, Bronx, NY 10453) will turn their school’s cafeteria into a Soup Kitchen on November 20, 2013, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to provide a Thanksgiving dinner to community members in need. This event began in 2005 as a community service project for middle school students in the program.

The goal of this event is to provide a special meal for the elderly and homeless in the area around PS/MS 279. An unintended, but positive outcome has been bridging the gap between different generations in the community. Fifth to eighth grade after-school students will actively participate in the planning and development of the project. Students will create letters, post flyers, design the menu, and help collect food donations.

In addition to dinner, the event will include a DJ and dancing. After-School program participants will be assisted by students that participate in CHCF’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Drop Out Prevention Programs at Grace Dodge Career & Technical High School in the Bronx, respectively.

The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc. (www.chcfinc.org) provides services to the Latino community in New York through youth development programs, an Early Care and Education Institute, and child welfare and early education policy work that amplifies Latino voices in these areas at the local, state and national levels. CHCF’s model is innovative in its effective inclusion of cultural and linguistic competencies to effect change. CHCF’s holistic approach to youth development and child welfare includes the involvement of families in all activities to further the positive educational, emotional and physical growth of the children in its programs. CHCF’s grassroots focus makes it one of the few Latino organizations in NYC that combines direct service with policy initiatives that serve Hispanic communities on the micro and macro levels.