Community spotlight: September at a glance

Each month, we highlight stories reflecting the work of families, leaders and partners to improve the lives of children. These updates show how W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) grantees and local communities are creating pathways for children to thrive.  

Haiti 

• Watch stories of impact from the many grantees building a strong and equitable future for Haitian children, families and communities on the newly updated Pockets of Hope website. 

Michigan 

• Black Leaders Detroit and the Michigan Black Business Alliance drive equitable investment, providing no-interest loans and wealth-building tools that fuel growth, resilience and hiring momentum in Detroit. 

• Sprout’s long-term vision for food equity culminates in Uproot Market and Eatery, Battle Creek’s first community-owned co-op, offering affordable fresh food and expanded access. 

Mississippi  

• Moore Community House was featured in The 19th discussing how single moms found a lifeline in construction jobs to build financial security before the next big storm.   

• At the Mississippi Book Festival, WKKF President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron joined author Wright Thompson and moderator Vondaris Gordon on truth-telling, racial healing and leadership for our shared future. 

 Mexico 

• By celebrating Mayan language and culture in everyday spaces, #KinMaaya helps preserve and promote Indigenous identity and pride. Led by Ú Péekbal Waye’, this local campaign in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is gaining traction with signs now visible in popular shops and restaurants. 

U.S. National  

• The Fines and Fees Justice Center released “Fined Out,” a docuseries highlighting efforts to end coercive debt-based driver’s license suspensions and enable millions of people to return to their jobs and contribute to their communities. 

• Devon Wilson, a WKKF Community Leadership Network fellow, is strengthening Battle Creek, Michigan’s, food justice movement through Sunlight Gardens. 

• A recent story in the New York Times Magazine featured two members of Hand in Hand and shared their story of how Medicaid cuts threaten home-based care services that enable disabled Americans to live independently. 

• The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine released a new report outlining evidence-based strategies to strengthen breastfeeding support, including national coordination, public health programs and workplace supports. 

• The Flood Center at the Public School Forum of North Carolina announced 14 inaugural Charlotte Hawkins Brown Fellows, providing equity-centered professional learning and leadership development to improve student outcomes. 

New Mexico 

• New Mexico is leading the nation by making universal, free child care accessible, raising wages and building more than 50 child care centers. 

New Orleans 

• In NPR’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina’s 20th anniversary, Sankofa is highlighted for bringing fresh food, green space and community vitality back to the Lower Ninth Ward. 

• For Providers By Providers, Agenda for Children and the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children were featured in The 19th addressing how community leaders reimagined and rebuilt the early childhood education system in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. 

• “Hope in High Water: A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina” highlights the leadership of Gulf Coast communities working to rebuild and reimagine more equitable systems. The documentary was featured on MSNBC, Black Enterprise and Verite News, among others. 

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