Weekend Snack Pack Program

Many children who receive free or reduced priced school meals are left without adequate nutrition on the weekend and holiday breaks.

The Weekend Snack Pack Program (WSPP) is designed to fill this gap by providing healthy, kid-friendly, and easy to prepare snack foods to children at risk of hunger. The sealed snack packs will be discreetly distributed by the teachers three weekends a month.

Background

The concept of a snack pack program originated when a school nurse noticed that some of the students were arriving to school on Monday mornings with headaches, dizziness, stomach aches and fatigue. She noticed that these were the same students who were receiving free or reduced lunches. The nurse reached out to a local food pantry to organize a way to provide these students with nutritious weekend snacks.

Weekend Snack Pack

The snack packs are delivered to Leonia’s Anna C. Scott Elementary School and at Edgewater’s George Washington School. The teachers discreetly place the snack packs into the student’s backpack when they are out of the classroom. Special emphasis will always be placed upon privacy.

One Snack Pack Contains the Following Items:

  • 2% milk box, 8 ounces, non-flavored, shelf stable

  • Cold cereal, 1 ounce individual serving size box, no chocolate or nuts

  • Fruit, 4 ounce can – peaches or mixed (no applesauce)

  • 100% Juice box, 6.75 ounces, apple preferred

  • Chicken with rice or ravioli, 7.25 ounces, microwaveable bowl, Chef Boyardee or similar

  • Macaroni and cheese, 7.25 oz

  • Nutri-Grain snack bar, 1.3 ounce, apple flavor, no chocolate or nuts

Volunteer Opportunities

Attend a packing event: we regularly need to pack the snack packs at the CFA warehouse in Englewood. This is a hands-on task and is suitable to groups and individuals. Please contact us here to inquire about our next snack pack packing event.

Please help support this project by making a donation.