SAN FRANCISCO, CA – As families continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic, there are currently more than 11 million children living below the poverty line.
Without intervention, that leads them not having enough necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. However, a woman’s trip to Iran ended up with her focused on helping kids right in her own backyard.
Bret Harte Elementary School in San Francisco recently held a big day. The students, many who live below the poverty line, can take whatever they need for free, no questions asked. The event is the brainchild of Delfarib Fanaie, and her nonprofit, Moms Against Poverty.
“We have to bring some light, especially after the pandemic, to the suffering of many families that has increased,” Fanaie said.
“To say there’s a need would be a dramatic understatement,” Jeremy Hilinski, principal of Bret Harte Elementary said.
Fanaie’s decision to help underserved children came after a visit to an orphanage in her home country of Iran. Soon after, she and several other mothers banded together to form Moms Against Poverty, to help fill the global need.
“We believe that every child, regardless of where they are born, they deserve to have access to basic provision, education, and health,” Fanaie said.
So far, the nonprofit has aided more than 2.5 million individuals in 16 countries and helped to establish more than 170 schools. Nevertheless, Fanaie’s primary focus remains at home in the United States.
“One in five children in the U.S. goes to bed hungry,” Fanaie said.
As a result, Moms Against Poverty provides hygiene products and healthy food to schools in need, even installing freezers and washer and dryers for them.
“I am really a total believer that we can make a better world if we come together,” Fanaie said.
This past year, Fanaie and Moms Against Poverty received the Jacquelin Kennedy Onassis Award for outstanding public service.
They prefer however not to receive recognition from the schools that they help. The nonprofit’s work is funded by grants, corporations, and individuals.
You can find out how you can help by clicking here.