This Week in Policy & Public Interest News: 15 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the week's most newsworthy policy and public interest press releases from PR Newswire, including a coalition to protect minors on social media and tips for National Safe Digging Month.

NEW YORK, April 14, 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. Small Business Owners Hopeful in Economy, But See Inflation as a Problem Over Next Two to Five Years
   "While business owners are more hopeful following the mid-term elections and entering into 2023, there are still more than half who believe we are in a recession and believe inflation is a problem, and likely not to be resolved soon," said Randy Ford, President and COO of National Write Your Congressman.
2. Pay Attention to Safety When Using Spring Lawn Mowers & Other Outdoor Power Equipment
   Spring is here and as we get out our lawn mowers and other outdoor power equipment out from storage to work in our yards, businesses and other green spaces, it's important to keep safety in mind.
3. PepsiCo Launches Greenhouse Accelerator Program: Juntos Crecemos Edition to Identify and Uplift Emerging Hispanic-Owned Food and Beverage Start-Ups
   Hispanic-owned businesses providing food and beverage innovations, products and services invited to apply to join a six-month, mentor-guided program and receive a $20,000 grant to accelerate their businesses and transform the way consumers live their lives.
4. Gen Z social media company Yubo kicks off online protection of minors coalition effort, in partnership with AFNOR
   The coalition, made up of organizations from both the public and private sector, will draft and publish a reference document on moderation and prevention techniques to protect minors on social networks.
5. Walmart and Sam's Club Help Fight Hunger. Spark Change. for 10th Annual Campaign
   As one of the organization's largest annual cause marketing campaigns, Fight Hunger. Spark Change. has generated more than $165 million and helped secure nearly 1.7 billion meals* for the Feeding America network of food banks since its inception in 2014.
6. Wahl 'Benevolent Beards' Contest Looking for Men Who Do Good, While Looking Good
   A recent study by Wahl found that men with beards are 13% more charitable than their clean-shaven counterparts, and the Wahl 'Benevolent Beards' Contest is looking to crown the most benevolent of them all.
7. A Starting Point Partners with Investing Platform Public for Content Series on Fiscal and Monetary Policy
   Public, an investing platform that allows members to invest in stocks, treasuries, ETFs, crypto, and alternative assets is partnering with A Starting Point, a civic engagement platform created by Chris Evans, Mark Kassen, and technology entrepreneur Joe Kiani to launch a cross-platform content series.
8. Call or Click Before You Dig. Dominion Energy Points Out 5 Dangerous Myths
   It's National Safe Digging Month, an opportunity for utilities nationwide to remind their customers and communities to put safety first by always contacting 811 to have underground utility lines located and marked before any project that involves digging.
9. American Council of the Blind Applauds ScripTalk Talking Label Pilot at Wegmans
   Wegmans is offering the ScripTalk system that allows blind or low vision patients the ability to audibly hear important prescription label information, ensuring their medication independence and safety.
10. The Dove Self-Esteem Project Calls for Action to Address Youth Mental Health Crisis Caused by Social Media
    To make systemic change, the Dove Self-Esteem Project is partnering with cultural icon and people's advocate, Lizzo, Common Sense Media and ParentsTogether Action to advance legislation around social media safety for kids.
11. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Celebrates National Volunteer Week
    During National Volunteer Appreciation Week (April 16-22), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) recognizes the incredible impact its volunteers contribute to suicide prevention across the country.
12. American Student Assistance Awards More Than $10 Million in Grants to Nonprofit Organizations Focused on Preparing Today's Youth for Postsecondary Education and Career Success
    Based on a recent study, less than half of respondents who identified as members of Generation Z said they had enough information to decide what post-high school pathway was best for them.
13. Trust for Public Land Raises Urgency to Protect Black History and Black Futures
    Of the nearly 100,000 places included in the National Register of Historic Places, only 3% tell the stories of the Black American experience. In the United States, the approach to identifying, preserving, and interpreting historic places has long reflected the country's complicated racial—and racist—past and present.
14. Business leaders push for action on obstacles to early literacy progress
    The Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021, which the General Assembly passed and N.C. Gov. Cooper signed into law, has led to over 44,000 pre-K through fifth grade teachers and principals being intensely trained in the science of reading...but more needs to be done.
15. National Press Club awards Amaya Collier the 2023 Julie Schoo Scholarship for Diversity in Journalism
    "I've been raised in a time of intense polarization," Collier wrote in her application. "I want to be a part of a restorative movement in journalism, building back trust and credibility in the media, and combating the reinforcement of one-sided stories and social division."

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

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