OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Instead of focusing on playing, more than 150 Oshkosh kids have to worry about where they’re going to sleep tonight.
Forty-two percent of students at Oshkosh schools are considered “economically disadvantaged,” according to Julie Dumke.
Dumke is the founder of a new Oshkosh charity, called the Oshkosh Kids Foundation. She is also an Oshkosh Area School District employee.
Dumke tells FOX 11 it’s something she sees too often.
“Every day I see kids that don’t eat lunch. They’re sitting in the hallway. That has worn the same outfit for two to three weeks. That smell, because they don’t have a shower at home or hot running water.”
Seeing kids struggle every day inspired Dumke to take action. It hasn’t been hard for her to find community support.
Zaroni’s in Oshkosh is just one local business that’s serving up help for Oshkosh kids.
“There are so many families that are in immediate need in Oshkosh,” Zaroni’s Owner John Doemel said.
“The problem is we have these programs out there that have so much red tape to go through.”
The Oshkosh Kids Foundation wants to cut through that red tape by cutting checks on the spot for anything a child needs– whether that be a mattress, food or transportation.
“We wanna make sure that we have zero kids that have to register as homeless. That needs are met, and immediate needs need to be met,” Doemel said.
The group will decide how to split up the money it receives. Dumke said this might not end homelessness or hunger, but it will help the kids who need it.
“We can’t fix the parents. But we can help the kids. And we want to make a level playing field every day, for every child, so they can have every opportunity.”
The Oshkosh Kids Foundation is holding a fundraiser at Leach Amphitheater later this month. If you’re interested in attending, here is the link to the Facebook event.
It costs $4 to enter the event– which is symbolic of how much it costs to feed a child in the school district breakfast and lunch for a week.
