From news release
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Rock House Kids, a nonprofit that provides a safe haven for children in first through 12th grades, was awarded $5,000 from General Mills to provide meals to kids at the center.

“Many of our children may not know where they will get their next meal and facing hunger, getting the energy they need to learn and grow, can be a daily challenge,” Rock House Kids Executive Director Deanna Lacny said in a news release. “As they grow up, kids struggling to get enough to eat are more likely to have problems in school and other social situations. We understand that many of the children go home to a vacant household, sparse cabinets and/or an empty refrigerator.”

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In, 2021, Rock House Kids served nearly 7,000 individual hot meals and gave away almost 7,000 kid-friendly food bags.

“The hot meals we provide along with the kid friendly take-home food bags, help with the nutritional needs of the child,” Lacny said. “We are so grateful for the new partnership with General Mills and the employees who nominated us to apply for the grant so we can continue to feed and nourish the children.”

General Mills Foundation Hometown Grantmaking Program provides support to select local organizations in the communities around the world. Its employees play an active role by nominating local charities and organizing volunteer projects.

Rock House Kids provides evening programming that includes mentoring, hot meals, take-home food bags, and daily essentials to more than 250 inner-city kids of Rockford on four evenings a week. They receive no federal, state, or city funding, but are wholly supported by donations.