Cory Nichols’ whole life changed after he watched the documentary (纪录片) Hard Times: Lost on Long Island. This documentary follows four different families over six months as they struggle with unemployment. Cory knew he had to help any way that he could.

He founded an organization named “C the Difference”. The first step of his charity was to advertise. Using his own money, Cory had orange bracelets (手链) made. Now, he has sold the bracelets. A lot of people who are willing to donate bought them. “We’ve gotten donations from $5 to $500,” Cory said. “Every dollar really helps.”

Since founding the organization “C the Difference”, Cory has gotten the word out through e-mail and social media. He has managed to get upwards of $7,500, and the amount will keep rising each month. For Cory, his work is truly rewarding, and he loves knowing that people less fortunate than him are really benefiting from all the donations. Once he said, “I was in the pantry (食品室) one time when a woman was taking food, and she was grateful for what I was doing. That made me feel great.”

Cory’s work has been truly remarkable. These past years he was recognized for “C the Difference” and was a recipient (获得者) of the New York State Prudential Spirit of Community Award. Cory was honored when he found out the news, and even more shocked when he found out that he was one of only 102 winners out of the 28,000 applicants. As a recipient, Cory got to travel to Washington D.C. with the other winners.

There are bright things in Cory’s future. First, he wants to keep doing well in school. “I think school is really important to be successful in life.” In addition, Cory wants to keep “C the Difference” going through high school. “I am continuing to get donations, and to get younger kids and my peers involved to help each month.”

Join us at Vancouver’s Family Day Charity Fun Walk

Families are like gardens: the more you water them, the more spectacularly they give more flower. Family time is an essential factor that helps to strengthen bonds among family members. Spending family time sharing experiences and creating memories develops a sense of security and forms family values. You get to discuss about what is going on in your individual lives, and everyone feels more valued, more heard. Now welcome to our project!

An Indiana school system is testing a new program that turns food that would normally go to waste into meals for children who need them.

As part of a pilot program, 20 students at Woodland Elementary School (小学) in Elkhart went home on Friday with an insulated (隔热的) backpack filled with eight frozen meals to help them get through the weekend. The program is just getting started, but it seems to be going well. Cafeteria staff stood up and clapped when the plan was announced. “It’s heartbreaking, you know, seeing our kids hungry and not being able to do anything about it,” said Bickel, the director of student services for Elkhart Community School.

The school partnered with Cultivate, a “food rescue” group in nearby South Bend, to prepare the meals, which include a protein (蛋白质) and a vegetable. The group comes to five Elkhart school production kitchens on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to collect food that was prepared but not served. That food had been going into the garbage. Cultivate gets food from local restaurants, hospitals and other businesses as well. The University of Notre Dame athletic department and the South Bend Cubs league baseball team also donate unused food.

Cultivate is also running pilot programs with two South Bend schools. “It’s been a long-term mission for myself,” Cultivate co-founder Randy Z said. “I was the kid who went home with no food and didn’t eat on the weekends when I was younger.”

Randy Z is getting calls from area schools and restaurants that want to get involved and from people in other parts of the United States who want to start their own programs. “Children come back to school energized and ready to go and it improves them all across the board. It’s just a great thing,” he said.