West Des Moines, Iowa – October 2, 2020 – Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation a $4,000 grant to support youth literacy initiatives. This local grant award is part of more than $4 million in grants awarded this fall to nearly 850 nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools across the 46 states that Dollar General serves.

“The grant funds will be used to create a new event in conjunction with the National Education Association’s Read Across America Day next spring,” said Will Fett, IALF Executive Director. “This event will highlight the importance of literacy and reading with students as well as the significance of agriculture as Iowa’s number one economic industry.”

The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation serves as the central resource for educators and volunteers who want to teach Iowa’s students about agriculture. The organization develops new resources, uses existing best practices, and presents a unified approach with benchmarks and alignment to state educational standards. The event funded by this grant will be held statewide, however this grant will focus on schools in the Des Moines metro. This project will provide at least 800 students in the Des Moines metro area engagement in reading and learning about agriculture. IALF will partner with the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach on the event. More details will be announced in the coming months.

“This year, many teachers, libraries and literacy organizations are facing new challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s chief executive officer and Dollar General Literacy Foundation board member. “Despite the unprecedented obstacles, we admire the tremendous efforts and commitments from educators as they work to provide students with the tools they need to develop their literacy skills. We hope these funds will help support their plans to advance learning and deliver quality instruction in our hometown communities.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $186 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 12 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.

“The Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant helps to ensure that Iowa students receive the reading support they need to further their educations,” continued Fett. “Literacy plays an important role in the child’s future success but also improves the future of everyone in society.”

 

About the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation

IALF serves as a central resource for educators and volunteers who want to teach Iowa’s students about agriculture.  The mission is to educate Iowans, with a focus on youth, regarding the breadth and global significance of agriculture.  Iowa is a leading producer of agricultural products that are essential to feed a growing world population, estimated to reach more than 9 billion by 2050.  IALF believes it is important for all Iowans to understand the essential role agriculture has in their lives.  Through Agriculture in the Classroom efforts IALF engages with teachers and students.  For more information visit IALF online at www.IowaAgLiteracy.org, on Facebook, and Twitter.

 About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $186 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 12 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides financial support to schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or apply for a literacy grant, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

About Dollar General Corporation

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for more than 80 years through its mission of Serving Others. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items at everyday low prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operated 16,720 stores in 46 states as of July 31, 2020. In addition to high-quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America's most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg's, General Mills, and PepsiCo. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.