Portland Teacher Raises Funds for Refugee Students’ Snacks
Nicole Myers is a teacher of English as a second language in Portland, teaching kids of refugees and asylum-seekers the language of their new home. When she noticed that some of students in her classroom weren't bringing in their own snacks and didn't have change to buy them at school, she couldn't just sit there and watch them go hungry while trying to learn. She took to facebook, asking for donations from friends to buy fruit, vegetables, cereal bars, and graham crackers to boost her students' energy and increase their learning potential in the classroom.
When her friend saw her post, she encouraged Nicole to expand the pool of potential donors. They created a GoFundMe to help her students buy snacks primarily, while also raising money for school supplies to give these kids who are transitioning to a new life in a new home.
In her GoFundMe profile, Nicole paints the picture of her kids' situation.
"My language program currently educates 40 children between the ages of 11 and 14 and our class meets everyday for 3 hour sessions at a time. Unfortunately, my school does not have a budget to provide students with snacks. Teachers sell snacks to students for 50 cents each, but only students whose families are able to afford to buy a snack, get a snack. My students have migrated long and far, sometimes on foot, and most are homeless and food insecure. These students' families do not have 50 cents a day to give to their children to buy a snack. They also don't have food to give them to bring to school. These families are trying to survive and make a better life for themselves and their children."
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