SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. – Mary’s Pizza Shack and Pathways to Hope for Children are working together to help parents while kids are home.
Both the Redding and Anderson Mary’s Pizza Shack locations are attaching flyers about positive parenting and child abuse prevention, as April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
A flyer is attached to each order and is a small thing owner Kathy Byerly said she could do to raise awareness.
“When we saw the recently released statistics that showed a steady increase of substantiated incidents of child abuse in Shasta County, we knew we had to do something,” said Byerly.
The flyers were made by Pathways to Hope for Children and both restaurants said they are collecting donations for the abuse prevention coordinating council.
“We encourage each person to play a role in ensuring that children, families and our community thrive by engaging in meaningful activities with youth while sheltering in place,” said Michael Burke, Executive Director of PHC.
According to Pathways, child abuse is on the rise in Shasta County.
Pathways says in 2019 the county had 753 substantiated allegations of child abuse, compared to a low of 488 in 2016. This is more than double the state average.
California’s Child Welfare Indicators Project website said the county had 19.8 substantiated cases of child abuse per 1,000 people. This compared to 7.4 per 1,000 people statewide.
If you suspect child abuse, you are encouraged to call Shasta County’s Health and Human Services’ Children’s Branch at 530-225-5144. You can also reach out to Pathways to Hope for Children at 530-242-2020 or info@hopeshasta.org.
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