At World Vision, we’re called to serve the most vulnerable around the world, and that includes people right here in the United States.
We partner with a network of more than 3,000 churches, schools, and other community organizations across the United States, providing them with donated resources from our corporate partners.
Corporate donations include items such as clothing, hygiene supplies, and diapers.
We also supply building materials and furniture that equip our partner organizations to help people in need.
And through generous donors, we provide school supplies to teachers at Title I schools through our Teacher Resource Centers in six locations across the country.
When disasters strike within the U.S., World Vision staff jump into action to make relief supplies available to families in need.
World Vision helped more than 132,000 people affected by storms in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina from September 2017 through the end of 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread food insecurity within the United States. World Vision has responded by distributing 80,221 Family Emergency Kits through 51 church partners to serve 291,642 children and adults.
Family Emergency Kits contain a week’s worth of nutritious food for a family of five, hygiene and personal protective items, plus educational supplies for kids.
Last summer, World Vision became part of the USDA’s Farmers to Families program. Many U.S. farmers grow crops for specific vendors like restaurants, sports arenas, or vacation spots. When those locations closed or had their services severely limited, farmers had nowhere to ship their food.
The USDA connected those farmers with food distributors, who in turn get food to nonprofits so it can reach vulnerable families. Through the Fresh Food Box program that ended in May 2021, World Vision provided 3.6 million Fresh Food Boxes to nearly 14.3 million people across the U.S through a network of over 1,300 churches.
Throughout the pandemic, as supplies ran short, World Vision worked to distribute more than 3 million units of personal protective equipment (PPE) to healthcare systems, first responders, and schools across the U.S.
That includes police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel in the Navajo Nation as case numbers began to surge in November 2020.
For teachers whose students’ families can’t afford school supplies, they have access to free items from World Vision a few times a year. We helped over 198,000 students and teachers at hundreds of schools nationwide in 2020.
In late summer and early autumn, World Vision hosts backpack drives to make sure kids have what they need to start off the school year.
Throughout the school year, World Vision offers an afterschool tutoring and mentoring program for at-risk students called KidREACH.
World Vision has continued supporting educators during the pandemic, adapting to meet the changing needs of school and students through school supply kits that families can pick up through the school district.
The KidREACH program pivoted to a virtual experience, continuing its partnership with an acting company called Old Brick Playhouse. Actors created a show offering comfort to kids as they faced a whole new world of the pandemic.
World Vision and Worldreader partnered to make hundreds of diverse books available to families through an online app. Having access allows children to grow their reading skills during the pandemic.
As many students return to in-person learning, World Vision is providing additional cleaning supplies and signs with physical distancing guidelines that teachers can use to help keep their students and staff healthy. Prior to schools opening back up for students, World Vision provided over 1.5 million units of PPE to 800 Title 1 schools to serve more than 400,000 children, teachers, and families in need.
World Vision engages local volunteers from churches, schools, corporations, and special-needs groups. In 2020, more than 2,100 volunteers donated 32,900 hours of their time.
COVID-19 limited volunteer hours, but warehouses are now opening back up to volunteer groups, while ensuring compliance with safety guidelines.
Volunteers saved World Vision $838,000 in labor costs in 2020, which allowed us to invest more to serve the most vulnerable in America.
World Vision continues to provide for community organizations and churches through the United States and by so doing, ensures that the most vulnerable families and children receive the assistance they need.
