Action Pathways Community Newsletter

On the right path

Sharing our successes with the communities we serve.

Community Newsletter

April 2021| Issue 1

Upcoming Events

Drive-Thru Food Distributions (9 a.m. until food runs out; no walk-ups)

April 3- Food Lion | Dunn
April 8- Maxton Railroad Warehouse | Maxton
April 24- Old Walmart Shopping Center | Spring Lake

ASPIRE Weekly Virtual Workshops

For information on subjects, times and dates, contact [email protected].

Service Spotlight

Check out the NC CARES application on our website.

Find out more information about our Head Start programs.

Who qualifies for our Weatherization Assistance Program? .

Find out the details on hosting a food drive in your community here.

Blue Cross Blue Shield grant helps feed thousands throughout Southeast N.C.

Patricia Moore, food distribution member of Johnsonville AME Zion Church in Cameron, shows off the commercial freezer her church's pantry was able to install, thanks to a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.C.

Several of Second Harvest Food Bank's partner agencies received a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield in 2020 to improve refrigeration capacity for food pantries.

Read just a few of the stories of success on our website.

READ THE STORY HERE

Mother of four gets help from Weatherization Assistance Program

Dominique McLean, mother of four, applied for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) because she was in desperate need of a new heating and cooling system. The new system she was seeking would allow her to keep herself and her children warm in the winter and cool in the summer. She was approved for a new unit, and WAP also partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield to provide floor repairs.

In addition, she received a CO (carbon monoxide) detector, smoke alarms, bath ventilation fan, insulation and an energy savers kit.

McLean stated that she was so thankful for the services provided by WAP that she has encouraged friends and family who may be in need to apply, even going so far as to print applications for them.

She was satisfied with all the services she received and pleased with the professionalism of everyone who came into her home. She wanted to say, "Thank you, Weatherization Team, for a job well done!”

UNC-Pembroke students work to stop food waste

UNC-Pembroke student Alaqua Jacobs is shown during a recent visit to Bernice Oxendine's farm.

Reprinted with permission from UNCP's University Communications & Marketing Department

UNC Pembroke’s CARE Resource Center helped divert 60,000 pounds of food from being wasted while working to alleviate local food insecurity and also lending support to local farmers.

The students worked in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina on this project.

ASPIRE offers rental, utility assistance

The ASPIRE (Achievement, Success, Progress, Independence, Readiness & Evolve) program will host a Stabilization Day event in mid-April, during which those in need may procure assistance with paying rent and/or utilities.

ASPIRE's Stabilization Days are planned for Monday, April 12, through Wednesday, April 14, for Cumberland County. Stabilization Days for Sampson County residents were held in late March.

Cumberland residents should submit the required documents by 3 p.m. on April 14.

All required documents should be emailed to: [email protected].

Required documents:

All income for everyone in household ages 18 and up for past 90 days;
ID of all household members ages 18 and up;
Social Security cards;
Current utility bill and/or current mortgage bill or lease agreement.

Questions? Call the Sampson County office at (910) 249-4805, or the Cumberland County office at (910) 223-0116.

To learn more about the ASPIRE program, click HERE.

Special Needs Assistants implementing

Second Step Mental Health curriculum

Vanessa Gonzalez and Zaddy Jurabe are two API Head Start Special Needs Assistants who have brought creative, engaging and interactive social emotional activities, featuring the Second Step Mental Health curriculum, to virtual classrooms.

"During these trying times of COVID-19, special needs assistants have incorporated engaging activities to teach the children and parents the importance of appropriate social emotional responses and increase the children’s self-regulation skills," said Rojalyn Phillips, Head Start Assistant Director for Support Services.

Some of their social-emotional stories/activities included: The Kind Tree, How to Identify Emotions, The Gorilla Who Wasn’t Mean, Smelly Socks, and Strong Feelings Breathing Techniques. Through interactive engagement with the children, the parents also are actively learning the importance of their child’s social-emotional development.

During the week, Gonzalez and Juarbe collaborate with each of their classroom teachers regarding the upcoming lesson plan theme. Through their creative thinking, they find ways to incorporate social-emotional stories through engagement and interactive activities with the parents and children.

In reading the responses of teachers and parents on the Google Classroom Teacher Chat Room, parent feedback is displayed by posting pictures and comments of what the child has learned throughout the day. These activities enhance the children’s social-emotional development and school readiness skills.