Press Releases

Print this page

The Hearing and Speech Agency’s Gateway School Receives Grant from Food Lion Foundation

Baltimore, Md. – March 26, 2007 – The Hearing and Speech Agency (HASA) today announced receiving a $5,000 grant from the Food Lion Charitable Foundation for the agency’s Gateway School, a special education program that caters to children ages three to 12 with severe communication challenges such as autism, profound hearing loss, and speech language disabilities. Gateway School will use Food Lion’s gift to help purchase instructional materials for reading and math literacy that need to be replenished annually.

"We are very thankful for Food Lion’s generous contribution to our Gateway School and for their support in shaping our children’s future," said Susan Glasgow, executive director of HASA. "Food Lion’s gift plays an important role in helping us teach students how to overcome their learning and communication challenges. With the educational materials Food Lion is helping Gateway School to purchase our students will have the resources they need to expand their language proficiency, which in turn supports academic and life skills."

Last year more than 4,500 infants, children, and adults throughout Greater Baltimore benefited from The Hearing and Speech Agency’s services, which range from speech therapy and audiology to special education programming and American Sign Language interpreting for the deaf and hard of hearing. In HASA’s fiscal year 2006, Gateway School enrolled 58 students from Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County and the school alone provided nearly 11,000 speech-language therapy sessions and almost 800 counseling sessions for students with special needs as well as their parents.

About Food Lion Charitable Foundation and Food Lion, LLC
Established in 2001, the Food Lion Charitable Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to improving the communities in which Food Lion operates. The Foundation places an emphasis on the support of primary and secondary education, feeding the hungry, and organizations that enhance the quality of life in Food Lion’s local communities.

Food Lion LLC is a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG). Food Lion LLC operates more than 1,200 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Harveys and Reid’s. These stores meet local customer needs and preferences for the freshest and best quality products. Food Lion LLC employs approximately 73,000 associates in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

About The Hearing and Speech Agency
Established in 1926, The Hearing and Speech Agency (HASA) is the only non-profit organization in Maryland solely dedicated to meeting the speech, language, and hearing needs of children and adults who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech and language disabilities. Serving more than 4,500 clients and students annually, HASA leads the way as a direct service provider, information resource center, and advocate for people of all income levels. HASA offers a number of comprehensive programs and individualized services, including: interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing, American Sign Language classes, clinical speech and audiology services, and special education programming through Gateway School for children ages 3-12 (many of whom are diagnosed with autism). HASA’s state-of-the-art facility - The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building - encompasses classrooms, audiology testing booths, therapy suites, resource centers, and numerous other therapeutic amenities to improve lives through more effective communication.