This grandma heard kids would be going lunch-less. So she went to a pub and cooked up a storm.

This grandma heard kids would be going lunch-less. So she went to a pub and cooked up a storm.
True
Dignity Health old

Phyllis Shaughnessy was dismayed when she learned the local meal program for low-income students would be cut for the summer.

Shaughnessy is a retired postmaster and a part-time substitute teacher in Copalis Beach, Washington. From her experience working with children, she would know that there are 15,000 kids and teens living below the poverty line in Grays Harbor County, where her town is located.

During the school year, low-income students can get their lunches through free or discounted meal programs at school.

But this year, the North Beach School District was forced to cut summer meals when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made a change to their grant requiring the meals be served in a single location — a nearly impossible task in a region with a spread out rural population.

Realizing that local low-income families couldn't afford to fill this gap, Shaughnessy decided to fill the gap herself.

Shaughnessy acquired a caterer's license and began bringing lunches to kids who were affected by the summer lunch program cut. She called the program "Green Lantern Lunches" after Green Lantern Pub in Copalis Beach, whose owners offered the pub's kitchen to prepare meals.

The pub does other cool stuff too, like host Harley-Davidson weekends:

Maybe they could deliver lunches? Green Lantern Pub/Facebook, used with permission.

Every morning, Shaughnessy and a handful of volunteers delivered lunches to more than 200 low-income children. 90 of those lunches were delivered by Shaughnessy herself.

Parents told reporters for USA Today how much their children enjoy seeing Shaughnessy each morning. The kids have come to anticipate the sight of her navy blue car with the custom-made "Green Lantern Lunches" signs on its doors.

All GIFS via USA Today/YouTube.

In USA Today's video, Shaughnessy says she doesn't just do it to give the children food, she does it for the human connection it brings, for "love and hope".

"They need to know that somebody cares," she says.

As of August, Shaughnessy and other volunteers reported delivering 6,851 meals. A recent feature on the show "The Real" put an updated estimate at 10,000 meals. That's amazing.

The program is now looking to purchase school supplies and provide the kids with meals on weekends and holidays.

They have set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to keep their awesome program going.

I'm from Seattle and my mom and I have taken trips to Copalis Beach since I was a little kid. I remember driving past Green Lantern Tavern with its vibrant green walls and trim (and finally going in for a drink after I'd turned 21). This area gave me a lot of happy memories, and I wish its residents all the best.

Cheers to Phyllis Shaughnessy and her team, for all the happy memories you're giving to your community's kids.

You can check out this video for more on Green Lantern Lunches:

Badge
Chewy
Chewy
Videos

Chewy spotlights the photographers who help pets get adopted

True

When a pet is admitted to a shelter it can be a traumatizing experience. Many are afraid of their new surroundings and are far from comfortable showing off their unique personalities. The problem is that's when many of them have their photos taken to appear in online searches.

Chewy, the pet retailer who has dedicated themselves to supporting shelters and rescues throughout the country, recognized the important work of a couple in Tampa, FL who have been taking professional photos of shelter pets to help get them adopted.

"If it's a photo of a scared animal, most people, subconsciously or even consciously, are going to skip over it," pet photographer Adam Goldberg says. "They can't visualize that dog in their home."

Adam realized the importance of quality shelter photos while working as a social media specialist for the Humane Society of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"The photos were taken top-down so you couldn't see the size of the pet, and the flash would create these red eyes," he recalls. "Sometimes [volunteers] would shoot the photos through the chain-link fences."

That's why Adam and his wife, Mary, have spent much of their free time over the past five years photographing over 1,200 shelter animals to show off their unique personalities to potential adoptive families. The Goldbergs' wonderful work was recently profiled by Chewy in the video above entitled, "A Day in the Life of a Shelter Pet Photographer."

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
pets
Well Being

Psychologist shares beautiful advice for talking to people with dementia

Canva

Dr. David McPhee offers advice for talking to someone living in a different time in their head.

Few things are more difficult than watching a loved one's grip on reality slipping away. Dementia can be brutal for families and caregivers, and knowing how to handle the various stages can be tricky to figure out.

The Alzheimer's Association offers tips for communicating in the early, middle and late stages of the disease, as dementia manifests differently as the disease progresses. The Family Caregiver Alliance also offers advice for talking to someone with various forms and phases of dementia. Some communication tips deal with confusion, agitation and other challenging behaviors that can come along with losing one's memory, and those tips are incredibly important. But what about when the person is seemingly living in a different time, immersed in their memories of the past, unaware of what has happened since then?

Psychologist David McPhee shared some advice with a person on Quora who asked, "How do I answer my dad with dementia when he talks about his mom and dad being alive? Do I go along with it or tell him they have passed away?"

McPhee wrote:

Keep Reading Show less
well-being
Trending Stories