AKRON, Ohio – Members of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE), AFSCME Local 4, stepped in to support students and families in Akron, home to one of the state’s poorest school districts.
On May 28, OAPSE’s nonprofit arm, OAPSE Making a Difference (OMAD), distributed meal and snack bags to students in Akron Public Schools. The effort is part of OAPSE members’ broader mission to support the communities they serve daily.
“Being able to help the children we serve where the need is so high makes me so proud of my union and the entire OAPSE family,” said OAPSE President Lois Carson. “Members of OAPSE will continue to help the community every chance we can.”
OAPSE members created OMAD to address critical needs among students and working families across Ohio. This week’s meal distribution in Akron is the latest example of how union members respond to those in need through direct action.
The effort also comes at a critical time for the nation. The budget bill approved by the House of Representatives is likely to force more school students to go hungry. Massive cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will increase hunger across America so billionaires can enjoy bigger tax cuts.
“The poverty rate is double in Akron compared to the state average, and there are so many food-insecure children in the district,” said Sheila Dawkins-Flinn, OAPSE state secretary and chairwoman of the OMAD program. “We are doing what we can to help the children we serve.”
More information about OMAD is available at oapse.org/oapse-making-a-difference.