By Mary Johnson, from the Holland Sentinel's Opinion Page:
The Holland Bread Team (i.e., Holland Chapter of Bread for the World) would like to commend the City of Holland for sponsoring the Holland Youth Connections program and for its efforts to substantially expand the program for the summer of 2014. We are sure that this program, which provides summer employment for at-risk youth, will reap benefits for our entire community, as these youth are constructively engaged and given training that will help them be successful in the future. A member of the Holland Bread Team led one of the groups of youth last summer, and he is so proud that our city is making this contribution to the future of our youth.
Bread for the World is a national Christian advocacy movement working to end hunger, both at home and abroad. Each year, Bread for the World Institute issues a Hunger Report. Bread’s 2014 Hunger Report, Ending Hunger in America, contains a section explaining that helping at-risk youth is one means of reducing hunger and poverty in our nation. This timely feature helps us appreciate Holland’s commitment to employ such youth. The 2014 Hunger Report also advocates for an increase in the minimum wage. We’ve been told that the City of Holland is already paying its youth slightly above the minimum wage. We commend the city on that also.
In response to the May 2 Sentinel article conveying the need for addition funding for the Youth Connections program, our team has made a contribution to this important cause. We encourage others to step forward also.
The Holland Bread Team (i.e., Holland Chapter of Bread for the World) would like to commend the City of Holland for sponsoring the Holland Youth Connections program and for its efforts to substantially expand the program for the summer of 2014. We are sure that this program, which provides summer employment for at-risk youth, will reap benefits for our entire community, as these youth are constructively engaged and given training that will help them be successful in the future. A member of the Holland Bread Team led one of the groups of youth last summer, and he is so proud that our city is making this contribution to the future of our youth.
Bread for the World is a national Christian advocacy movement working to end hunger, both at home and abroad. Each year, Bread for the World Institute issues a Hunger Report. Bread’s 2014 Hunger Report, Ending Hunger in America, contains a section explaining that helping at-risk youth is one means of reducing hunger and poverty in our nation. This timely feature helps us appreciate Holland’s commitment to employ such youth. The 2014 Hunger Report also advocates for an increase in the minimum wage. We’ve been told that the City of Holland is already paying its youth slightly above the minimum wage. We commend the city on that also.
In response to the May 2 Sentinel article conveying the need for addition funding for the Youth Connections program, our team has made a contribution to this important cause. We encourage others to step forward also.