California

"One local woman, however, is working to change that. Lynette Ramirez, the founder of Ready 4 Reading, established a book club more than two years ago to get books into the hands of children living in poverty after she learned that illiteracy was growing at a rate of 2.5 million people a year."

"In addition to its TechMobile, Community Connection has established 30 public computing centers where low-income individuals and families can have access to the Internet,' Krebs said. The centers offer classes to all ages in basic computer and Internet skills, word processing, photo editing and more. The classes are offered in English, Spanish and some indigenous Oaxacan languages."

"Did you know that nearly 3,500 kids in Monterey County school districts are homeless? That includes all school districts - the Peninsula, Salinas, north and south county alike. So, United Way is partnering with local businesses and the Monterey County Office of Education to spearhead Stuff the Bus, a school supply drive."

"The United Way of Ventura County is once again seeking the community's help to provide back-to-school supplies for children from low income families. The nonprofit's third annual Stuff the Bus campaign starts Monday with the goal of collecting enough school supplies to fill 500 new backpacks for needy children."

"The California Community Foundation is to announce Friday that it has received $1.5 million from the Ford Foundation to give children in impoverished communities the same enriched learning activities typically enjoyed outside school hours by their wealthier peers. The California foundation also contributed $200,000 to the efforts."

"As a veteran who has emerged from chronic homelessness, Stone symbolizes the success federal officials would like to repeat. In a plan called Opening Doors, the government has set a goal of preventing and ending homelessness for veterans by the middle of the decade."