Easterns Blog

Today was a very special day for both Eastnerns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC alike. The two Pay It Forward partners teamed up to highlight and give back to an amazing non-profit organization doing amazing work in the Maryland community. Unfortunately, every child does not have the luxury of just going in the fridge and grabbing something to eat. Many kids are not as fortunate depending on their parents? financial situation and sometimes even other reasons. A group of dedicated volunteers came up with the idea to help feed the children in Montgomery County, Maryland that do not have enough to eat.

Katheen Sierra moved to Montgomery County from Prince George?s County close to two years ago. Since the move, her family has been struggling to make ends meet due to the cost of living increase. Luckily, the Sierras do receive free lunch at Highland Elementary School like many other families. The problem comes into play when these children are not in school because many of them are in homes with little to no food. However, the local volunteers from the Kids in Need Distributors (KIND) non-profit set out to change that. Jeremy Lichtenstein is a Montgomery County native that started KIND after hearing stories of children sometimes going an entire weekend without food. Both he and his volunteers thought this was unacceptable so every six weeks a group of volunteers go shopping at Costco and deliver food to 25 different schools. The food is packaged and put into students? backpacks on Friday afternoons so they are able to eat during the weekends. Last year, KIND gave over 250,000 meals to 1,700 kids last year.

Although KIND is always seeking new volunteers, Lichtenstein said the biggest thing that they need right now is money to continue buying the food. Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group joined forces on Good Day DC to pay it forward to the volunteers of KIND for their dedication by feeding them, getting custom t-shirts made, and gifting them with gas cards to help out with travel expenses. Easterns also donated $1,000 to help KIND continue purchasing the food needed for the program.

For more information on how to help Kids In Need Distributors (KIND), click here.

If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that goes above and beyond the call and is worthy of being recognized,?Click Here?to nominate them.