West Charlotte Non-Profit Shifts Operations Online
CHARLOTTE, NC – A Better World in West Charlotte typically provides after school care for nearby families. But the non-profit has now shifted their entire operation online and are doing what they can to continue their ways.ย
โItโs more than important to me. Itโs what I do. Itโs my livelihood,โ said Britannia Glover.
She has spent years serving meals for elementary and middle school kids and their families at A Better World in West Charlotte.ย
โI actually know the cars when they hit the top of the parking lot,โ said Glover.
With kids not allowed inside, Glover meets the families at their car window. She passes out about 200 meals to families in need each day.ย
โI just like to make sure they have something extra,โ said Glover.ย
The after school program typically provides free care so kids have a place to go. Mental health, classroom instruction and meals are included.ย
โA lot of these families are really trying to make ends meet,โ said Anthony Panciocco.
He is an administrator at A Better World.ย
โIt was really hard at first,โ said Panciocco, โit was probably the hardest thing professionally that Iโve ever had to deal with.โ
He says the pandemic forced them to overhaul their programs.ย
Reading assignments are now online. Books are sent home. And one-on-one instruction time is done via video conference.ย
โAs much as it would have been easy to close everything down. Itโs been kind of an exciting challenge to put together something new with the pieces of what weโve been doing,โ said Paniocco.
There have not only been challenges for the staff, but students too.ย
โThe kids are struggling with the lack of community in being home and theyโre used to being at school and being social after school,โ said Panciocco.
A Better World plans to start a summer school program in mid june so kids can do group chats and engage with one another.ย
โWe know that they donโt need one or two things, they need a lot. And we have the capabilities to provide that,โ said Panciocco.
