Several months after announcing a $2 million grant to aid Seattle school students with the creation of the “Right Now Needs Fund,” Amazon is pitching in an additional $250,000 to make sure underserved kids get assistance during the summer months.

Amazon’s donation to the Alliance for Education will support increased safe summer programming for youth through Seattle Parks and Recreation. Two programs impacted by the grant include:

  • Summer of Safety: Provides meals and access to safe and supportive places in low income neighborhoods for kids not enrolled in any structured programming during the summer. The Amazon grant will expand capacity by 100 youth per day throughout the summer and will increase staffing and support the incorporation of youth employment. Five Seattle neighborhoods impacted: Bitterlake, Rainier, Van Asselt, Delridge, and South Park, plus the addition of a new teen-focused site in the Central Area.
  • Summer Programming Scholarships: Increases access to Seattle Parks and Recreation 2019 summer camp scholarships for students experiencing poverty. Funding will provide scholarships for an additional 750 slots in various camps throughout Seattle. Apply here.

“Children, youth and families in our city often rely on their neighborhood school for support when experiencing challenges,” Lisa Chick, president and CEO of Alliance for Education, said in a news release Monday. “Amazon has been a remarkable and visionary partner in empowering our schools to address the basic needs of their students, especially students experiencing poverty, through the Right Now Needs Fund. This new grant extends their current school-year investment to make sure that, even during the summer, kids have increased access to the support they need.”

Amazon announced its initial grant to the Alliance in October 2018, and to date the Right Now Needs Fund has provided over 5,000 instances of support to address the basic needs of Seattle Public School students.

“We’re excited to add to the Right Now Needs Fund to help underserved students with access to safe spaces, engaging enrichment activities, and meals that may otherwise be inaccessible during the summer months,” said David Zapolsky, Amazon SVP & general counsel and Alliance for Education board member. “School provides a safe and stable place for all students during the academic year and the collaboration with the Alliance for Education and Seattle Parks and Recreation will provide added support for basic needs during summer vacation.”

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