This Week in Policy & Public Interest News: 12 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the week's most newsworthy policy and public interest press releases from PR Newswire, including news of a national blood shortage and declines in children reading.

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the policy and public interest industries stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Red Cross announces national blood shortage
   The American Red Cross national blood supply has fallen to critically low levels—dropping nearly 25%-- since early August, and potentially threatening the medical care of patients with an emergency need for blood, or those living with critical conditions such as cancer and sickle cell disease and who depend on lifesaving blood transfusions.
2. New Data from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ Finds Kids are Reading Less as They Age, with Adolescents the Most at Risk of Missing Out on the Benefits of Reading
   "And yet, there's beauty in the data as it shows how access to books and a community of reading role models can bolster excitement for reading in a child's life, which in turn can ignite a greater interest in the skills of reading so that they can explore more stories," said Peter Warwick, Scholastic President and CEO.
3. Boeing Donates $300,000 to Assist Moroccan Earthquake Relief Efforts
   "Boeing colleagues around the world are dedicated to supporting the people of Morocco, and we stand ready to collaborate with local partners to provide meaningful assistance that leads to healing, rebuilding and renewal," said Ziad Ojakli, executive vice president of Government Operations at Boeing.
4. National PTA and Walmart Team Up to Support Students and Communities
   Together, National PTA and Walmart will support students and communities by offering all local PTAs throughout the country a free, one-year Walmart Business+ membership, an estimated value of approximately $2 million, through which PTAs can save on needed supplies for their schools.
5. Generac Urges Planning Ahead for Power Outages During National Preparedness Month
   During National Preparedness Month, Generac encourages people to review their household power needs, identify the backup power solution that will best meet the demands of their home, and practice safely using their backup power source.
6. Over 2 Million Families Rely on Nonprofit Organizations to Access and Pay for College
   "State-based and nonprofit higher education finance organizations are champions for aspiring and enrolled students pursuing postsecondary education. Motivated by their public purpose missions, these entities counsel students to make smart financial decisions and graduate college with less debt," said EFC President Gail daMota.
7. Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Report Says Seven Innovations Could Save 2 Million Mothers and Babies by 2030
   "As is so often the case in global health, innovations aren't making their way to the people who need them most—women in low-income countries, as well as Black and Indigenous women in high-income countries like the United States, who are dying at three times the rate of white women. That needs to change," writes Melinda French Gates.
8. Many don't know key facts about U.S. Constitution, Annenberg study finds
   The civics knowledge survey, released annually to celebrate Constitution Day (Sept. 17), also finds that although two-thirds of Americans (66%) can name all three branches of government, 10% can name two, 7% can name only one, and 17% cannot name any. 
9. Game On to Tackle Student Hunger
   GENYOUth, the national non-profit organization founded by America's dairy farmers and the NFL to create healthier school communities, today announced the launch of Super School Meals. This community-based initiative is providing grants to equip Nevada schools within high-need communities with Grab and Go meal equipment packages to help tackle student hunger and increase access to and participation in school meals.
10. Kroger Reaches Agreement in Principle for Nationwide Opioid Settlement
    Along with the execution of certain non-monetary conditions that remain in discussion, Kroger has agreed to pay up to $1.2 billion to states and subdivisions and $36 million to Native American tribes in funding for abatement efforts (both to be paid over 11 years in equal installments), and approximately $177 million to cover attorneys' fees and costs (to be paid over 6 years in equal installments).
11. New Smokey Bear PSAs Encourage Americans to Channel the "Smokey Within" and Help Prevent Unwanted, Human-Caused Wildfires
    For nearly 80 years, Smokey has been the nation's favorite bear educating the public on how to prevent human caused wildfires and his message is as important now as ever. Nine out of ten wildfires are human-caused and fully preventable.
12. Stride Rite Continues Commitment to Inclusivity with The Runway Of Dreams™ Foundation Partnership
    Following the runway show, Stride Rite will join Runway of Dreams's first-of-its-kind Adaptive exhibit that will feature Adaptive and Universally Designed collections from mainstream brands committed to inclusion in the fashion and beauty industries.

Read more of the latest policy-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNpolicy and @prnedu on Twitter.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

• Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.
• Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.
• Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.
• Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire