• This Indy Reads grant is in addition to a flurry of K12 education grants under a separate program being announced this week by Kroger in local Indiana and Illinois communities
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – February 1st – The Kroger Co. has announced a grant of $6,600 to Indy Reads in Indianapolis, Indiana. This grant will support an adult literacy program within the neighborhoods served by three Indianapolis Kroger stores. The program will provide mentoring and other volunteer opportunities for Kroger associates at those stores.
Kroger’s grant will fund of 300 hours of Indy Reads’ “Literacy Lab” outreach program. There are seven labs currently open in Indianapolis, with an eighth lab to be opened at IPS #14 in the near future. The labs are located at: Mary Riggs Center, John H. Boner Community Center, LYN House, John Hope Education Center, Horizon House, Jail #2 and Northview Middle School.
The Literacy Labs do not require adult students to become fully enrolled in the Indy Reads tutoring program, but do encourage those who repeatedly visit to do so. Current figures show that one in five adults in Indianapolis cannot read well enough to fill out a job application, understand a newspaper or help children with their homework. According to Indy Reads officials, all of these issues are addressed at the Literacy Labs, where lessons are based on “tactical” or task-based reading, writing, and life skill issues such as applying for a job, reading a prescription, understanding bills and responding to a landlord.
Kroger Central Division Public Affairs Manager John Elliott said, “Strong support of education is an important responsibility for every corporate citizen. With this grant, we are investing in our Indianapolis workforce and our customers. Our decision to further strengthen our historical support of education going back more than 100 years is motivated by two priorities; improving the educational opportunities available to our children and building the best possible workforce for our future. The need for improving reading skills is not limited to one age group and, many times, it can be more challenging for adults to find appropriate resources. As these adults work hard to improve their reading skills, they will have a positive, inspirational impact on children. We are determined to have a strong, positive and measurable impact on core skills such as reading and look forward to the help these six literacy labs will provide to local Indianapolis neighborhoods.”
The grant is in addition to Kroger’s $2.1 million K-12 education strategy launched by Kroger’s Central Division in January 2009. Several grants under that K-12 education program are being announced in Indiana and Illinois local communities this week.
BACKGROUND:
The Kroger Central Division has 152 food stores, 124 pharmacies and 58 fuel centers operating under five banners; Kroger, Scott’s, Owen’s, Hilander and Pay Less, with locations primarily in Indiana and Illinois, in addition to five stores in Missouri, one in Michigan and one in Ohio. Kroger Central Division is dedicated to supporting every local community it serves, contributing more than $11 million in 2009 to local organizations, primarily focusing on hunger relief, K-12 education, health causes and diversity. At Kroger we value: honesty, respect, inclusion, diversity, safety and integrity.
