DENVER, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Teachers and families across the country need to be more innovative than ever in a COVID school year where technology is being used for learning wherever it happens, and CenturyLink is helping them do that. Nourishing heads, hearts and stomachs, CenturyLink's Clark M. Williams Foundation is helping to support students in kindergarten through high school by awarding $500,000 in teacher technology grants and providing more than 400,000 meals through the Campaign to Fight Hunger.

"Teachers, students and families are facing so many challenges," said Stephanie Calhoun, CenturyLink vice president, talent management. "CenturyLink understands how important it is to have technology in today's classrooms – wherever they may be, and food on the table to help kids be ready to learn. We are proud to offer this funding to innovative teachers bringing useful technology into everyday learning and the many organizations feeding families in need."

CenturyLink steps up to help students during unique times
CenturyLink presented funding checks to 113 schools in 27 states as part of the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation's 2019-20 Teachers and Technology grant program. The much-needed funding is furthering human progress by giving teachers and students access to the technology they need now. Since its inception in 2008, more than $11 million has been awarded to schools in CenturyLink's local service areas and corporate locations.

A class full of calculators, CenturyLink makes a difference
"Before I applied for this grant, I only had two calculators in my classroom for my students to use. The students who couldn't afford a graphing calculator would share those two; sometimes up to three students were using the same calculator to learn the technology," said Olivia Bruner, Algebra 2 teacher, James Madison Preparatory School, Tempe, Arizona. "Now, with CenturyLink's grant, I will have a full class set of calculators, meaning that all my students, no matter their financial situation, will be able to learn how to use a graphing calculator."

View a complete list of the 2019-20 CenturyLink Teachers and Technology Grants awarded - www.centurylink.com/teachersandtechnology

Feeding families – fueling learning
The CenturyLink Campaign to Fight Hunger, a month-long online food drive that ended July 31, raised more than $40,000 benefitting 68 food banks located in communities the company serves across the U.S. and abroad.

Since starting an annual food drive in 2009, CenturyLink employees and community members have joined with the CenturyLink Clark M. Williams Foundation to provide over $13 million and more than 83 million meals.

Generous contributions collected from employees and a matching pledge from the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation will be distributed to participating food banks based on the dollar amount of donations directed to them through the campaign's online donation site.

Campaign raises hunger awareness and the acute need now
According to Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, nearly 18 million children face hunger in the U.S. and 37 million Americans suffer from food insecurity. Action Against Hunger says one in nine people worldwide do not get enough food with estimates that COVID-19 repercussions could double the number of people facing acute hunger by the end of 2020.

Key Facts

• Across the United States, more than 300 Teacher and Technology grant applications were submitted for the 2019-2020 awards.

• 113 Teacher and Technology grants were funded based on the impact they will have on students in the classroom and the overall innovation of the project

• The CenturyLink Teachers and Technology grant program, which began in 2008, has awarded more than $11 million to technology-based learning projects to date.

• CenturyLink service is neither required nor considered in the review of Teacher and Technology grant applications

• According to Feed America, nearly 18 million children face hunger in the US and one in nine do not get enough food worldwide.

• More than 83 million meals have been provided to food organizations in US and abroad since the Campaign to Fight Hunger began in 2009

• Since 2009 the Campaign to Fight Hunger has raised more than $13 million.

About the CenturyLink Foundation
CenturyLink improves the lives of our customers by connecting them to the power of the digital world. CenturyLink extends this vision through the CenturyLink Clark M. Williams Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to contributing to endeavors that improve the well-being and overall quality of life for people throughout CenturyLink's communities. Named after CenturyLink's founder Clarke M. Williams, the Foundation is endowed by CenturyLink to support K-12 STEM education and other initiatives that encourage our employees to use their time, talents and treasure to strengthen their communities.

SOURCE CenturyLink Inc.