W.K. Kellogg Foundation statement on family separation

In 1930 our founder, Will Keith Kellogg, acted to create a foundation that would “help children everywhere to face the future with confidence, with health and with strong-rooted security in their trust of this country and its institutions.” 

Today, many weeks after it was deemed unacceptable, children remain traumatized by separation from their parents. For those children, their families and their communities, the security and trust Mr. Kellogg envisioned is waning. 

We understand the effects of trauma on a child’s development. Our grantees’ research, outreach and service over decades prove the point beyond question. And seeing children’s faces as they registered fear and confusion impel action to protect every child from trauma on such a scale. 

Many organizations are speaking to these issues, our grantees and partners among them. We recognize those stepping up and supporting the process of reuniting children, including: 

• Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR)
• Michigan Advocacy Project/Michigan Immigrant Rights Center
• New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, Albuquerque
• United We Dream

In the midst of the crisis, we moved to strengthen the capability of organizations like these supporting families and responding to their communities. It is time to join together in solidarity to ensure that our institutions serve children with fidelity – when a crisis emerges, and in its aftermath.