The Kids In Need Foundation Names The Dollar General Literacy Foundation as National Sponsor of the Second Responder® Program

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kids In Need Foundation (KINF) announces today the Dollar General Literacy Foundation is the first-ever National Sponsor of the Kids In Need Foundation's Second Responder® program, which is dedicated to providing school supplies to students affected by natural disasters.

"We are grateful to work with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation on this important mission," said Dave Smith, executive director of The Kids In Need Foundation. "For children, a natural disaster means starting over and, in some cases, replacing all of their personal belongings. The donated backpacks filled with school supplies and books can take on huge significance to a child."

As the National Sponsor, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) will work with KINF to visit communities impacted by devastating hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, tornadoes and other natural disasters. In a disaster's aftermath, the DGLF plans to provide backpacks filled with school supplies and books to students so children most in need can keep learning and reading. Unlike those providing the critical necessities of food, shelter and medical aid after a disaster, the KINF Second Responder® program operates during the recovery period following the devastation.

"When a natural disaster strikes a school, the teacher's classroom supplies and students' school supplies are often destroyed," said Denine Torr, Dollar General's senior director of community initiatives. "Through the Second Responder program, we are glad to be able to ease some of the stress of the recovery process by meeting the basic needs of teachers and students so they can focus on more important things."

Today's announcement is another step forward in a years-long partnership between The Kids In Need Foundation and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is a past sponsor of Second Responder® events and initiatives. As the first-ever National Sponsor of the Second Responder® program, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation may also donate books to school libraries, when appropriate, to replenish books that were damaged in disaster zones through their Beyond Words program. Teacher totes filled with school supplies may also be provided to each teacher at schools served by the program.

The Kids In Need Foundation Second Responder® program works with local authorities, schools, and select sponsors to help kids return to normal routines. During the last four years, the program has:

• Provided thousands of backpacks filled with new school supplies directly to affected students
• Worked with several Fortune 500 companies to expand efforts to bring school supplies to affected schools and students
• Assisted countless devastated schools supporting more than 15,000 students
• Launched a new program to provide teacher totes to help impacted teachers with supplies

For more information about The Kids In Need Foundation Second Responder® program visit: https://www.kinf.org/programs/secondresponder/

About The Kids In Need Foundation
The Kids In Need Foundation's mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. The Kids In Need Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1995, has distributed nearly $800 million in school supplies, directly benefiting 5.4 million students and more than 150,000 teachers last year. For more information, visit KINF.org, and join us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram: @KidsInNeed.

About Dollar General Corporation
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for over 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, clothing for the family, housewares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operated 13,601 stores in 44 states as of May 5, 2017. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America's most-trusted brands such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg's, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.

Media Contact:
Mary Lester
214.490.3480 (cell)

SOURCE The Kids In Need Foundation

Related Links

https://www.kinf.org