AmeriCorps cuts have deep impact on California schools, food banks, health clinics and disaster relief sites

President Trump cut funding for AmeriCorps in April — and though Congress approved money for the program, the administration has yet to release the money, reports Cal Matters. The loss of funding is having a deep impact on hundreds of California schools that serve low-income students, where AmeriCorps volunteers provide tutoring and after-school programs. 
Per Cal Matters:

Maria Lopez, a psychology student at Napa Valley College, spent last year as an AmeriCorps worker at the after-school program at Northwood Elementary in Napa. She choked up when she described her experiences in the program. 

She developed close relationships with the children and felt she could help them through their social and emotional challenges. When students had tough days, she would encourage them to talk about it, “laugh, cry, be angry … basically, understand that it’s OK to show emotions,” she said.

“Some of these kids were special to me because I’d see them have a hard time, but then see how they grew,” Lopez said. “They’d say, ‘Miss M, thank you for helping me, you were here for me when my parents weren’t here or when I doubted myself.’ … Those moments I had with those kids are always here in my heart.”

She was among those who were laid off when the White House slashed funding.