NAACP-backed Wake Up Wednesdays asks caucus for $300 to continue weekly youth outreach

Maurice Williams, a Wake Up Wednesdays presenter, told the Black and Hispanic Caucus on Sept. 10 that the weekly outreach program meets outside the McDonald’s at 250 Welly Avenue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and connects youth to jobs and social services.

The program, Williams said, is "an initiative by the million jobs campaign" and involves partner groups such as Job Corps, the Community Action Agency, Yale University medical staff, the Masons and the city’s Office of Violence Prevention. Williams said volunteers distributed about 175 hot dogs during the most recent event and that the food helped bring young people into conversations about jobs and services.

The request presented to the caucus was for a $300 donation to continue purchasing food for participants. Caucus members said they would be "in touch" and would cast a vote on the request at a…