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In the headlines...

🥘 World Central Kitchen announced it’s building two new kitchens in Gaza, which will “nearly double” its daily meal production and move it closer to its goal of serving one million hot meals to people every day.

💰 A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore $50 million in grant funding to U.C.L.A. for medical research, including studies into Parkinson’s disease treatment, cancer recovery, and other areas that would improve the health of Americans.

❤️ Colin Kaepernick’s “Know Your Rights Autopsy Initiative” is covering the cost for a second, independent autopsy for deceased Delta State University student Demartravion “Trey” Reed, who was found dead hanging from a tree on campus on September 15.

Governments doing good

A new report found that 80 million more children are now supported by national school meal programs worldwide

According to a new report from the United Nations, nearly 80 million more children are now receiving school meals through government-led programs than in 2020. That’s a 20% increase, bringing the global total to at least 466 million children.

Notably, low-income countries saw even larger progress, increasing the number of children receiving school meals by 60% in the last two years alone. This is led by Africa, which is feeding another 20 million children in countries like Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.

This progress is backed by global funding for school meals that’s more than doubled from $43 billion in 2020 to $84 billion in 2024 — 99% of that coming from national budgets.

Why is this good news? Governments can do a lot of good for their citizens. These meal programs not only support the health, education, and overall well-being of children but also benefit small farmers, boost local employment, encourage planet-friendly diets, and reduce carbon emissions.

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More Good News

​A Virginia woman who won the lottery immediately donated the entire $150K prize to charity. Carrie Edwards made three $50K donations to charities that support dementia research and education, farm and food justice, and active-duty military members and their families.

​California lawmakers passed a bill to become the first U.S. state to ban ultra-processed foods from school meals. The legislation must still be signed by the governor, but is also believed to be the first law in the world defining UPFs, industrially formulated products that are often high in fats, starches, sugars, and additives that make up 73% of the U.S. food supply.

​A study found that well-preserved areas of the Amazon rainforest on Indigenous land can protect people from diseases. Indigenous people have long believed that every time the Amazon is cut, burned, or destroyed, it makes people sick, and now, new scientific evidence supports it, showing that disease incidence was lower in areas where the forest was set aside for and maintained by Indigenous people.

​Portland, Oregon rolled out a $100 million tree planting and tree care expansion program with a nonprofit. The initiative aims to plant a total of at least 15,000 trees over the next three years, more than doubling the city’s annual plantings, which currently stand at about 3,500 per year.

Health

New survey finds Narcan vending machines really work: ‘They’re saving people from dying’

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People doing good

Dozens of Atlanta residents worked together to build a $10K bike lane in their community

In 2020, city officials in Atlanta launched a program to support and empower neighborhood groups who were leading and funding alternative street design and safety changes through lower-cost, temporary interventions.

Taking just a year from concept to execution, 36 volunteers just completed the 20th project under the initiative. Supported by $10,000 total in donations from 42 community members, they converted street parking into a pop-up, protected bike lane to connect a local high school and elementary school.

Ultimately, projects like this also advance longer-term goals of the city regarding street safety and designing public spaces for the best use of those who use them. This one made the road safer for students to bike to school.

→ Read more​

More Good bits

🏋️ There’s one simple workout that can prevent falls as we age.

🥤 We could be growing to-go cups right in the garden.

🐝 Pollen: the bees love it, and it could be in your next sunscreen.

🏠 Pro tips from a house that produces more energy than it uses.

🎤 Today’s reminder that people are really, really good. (TikTok)

What’s good?

Not gonna lie, Wednesday was a little empty without a new episode of my guilty pleasure show (iykyk) ...

What TV show(s) have you enjoyed recently?

Reply with your recommendation(s), please!

— Megan