Trenton Education Association member and US Navy veteran, Claudia Wheeler, was recently presented with the Arturo Alphonso Shomburg Award from the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development (PRAHD). Wheeler created a non-profit to help combat food insecurities in New Jersey.
Now in its twelfth year, her program, the SALT Foundation, worked on a campaign in Perth Amboy. It is for this work that she was recognized by PRAHD. Wheeler credits her role as a teacher and Navy veteran with instilling in her the drive and focus to dedicate her time in communities around the state.
According to the SALT website, Wheeler and her team “work with a wide range of partners to provide New Jersey families in need with thousands of pounds of healthy food that would otherwise go to waste. The SALT Foundation also collects and delivers books, clothes, supplies, and other educational goods and services to similar audiences and other children and adults in need.”
Wheeler also has been named a Lifechanger of the Year by the National Life Group.
“Congratulations to Claudia Wheeler for her continued work in our communities,” said Meredith Barnes, staff contact to the NJEA Patriots Alliance. “Her efforts to end hunger in New Jersey is commendable.”
NJEA Patriots Alliance
In 2017, NJEA created the Patriots Alliance, a coalition of NJEA members who served in the Armed Forces and are now working in public education. The coalition currently numbers more than 250 members. It helps to inform veterans of their rights and benefits under the law and advocate for their specific interests. In addition, members of the Patriots Alliance are available to speak at schools and provide valuable insight into careers in the military. Learn more at njea.org/patriots.