Snack Pack Program provides weekend food for many students
[2008-5-15]
Tag: Peanut Snack
A granola bar, a fruit cup, instant noodles and a package of peanut butter crackers can make a difference in a kid's life.
This is the feedback the Samaritan Community Center and the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank are getting from their weekly Snack Pack Program that provides almost 3, 000 kids in four counties with healthy snacks to take home every weekend.
Samaritan Community Center Director Debbie Rambo said teachers and counselors at the participating 61 schools select children who they think would benefit from the program.
"There are different criteria, for example if a child is on the free lunch at school, if a family's financial situation suddenly changes or if there's a single parent who works to provide for the family," Rambo said. "Every snack bag is individually portioned, and we try and focus on healthier snacks."
In its fourth year, the program has grown dramatically since it started, Rambo said.
"We started with three schools in Benton County with about 300 children, and Ozark Food Bank (now Northwest Arkansas Food Bank ) had one school with about 100 children. Then we decided to start working together," Rambo said.
The program, which is funded by various companies, vendors and foundations, is driven by community members who volunteer their time to buy, pack, load and drive the snack packs to schools in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties.
Rambo estimated $ 12, 000 to $ 15, 000 is spent on snacks each month. The only other expenses to the program are a part-time staff member who coordinates the program and a driver who delivers snack packages to rural schools once a month.
"Sam's (Club ) told me months ago I was their No. 1 customer. We buy everything in bulk from them," Rambo said.
Ted Viala with the Bentonville-Bella Vista Rotary Club said members of the organization, after Rambo spoke at a club meeting in November, decided they could help out by holding a food drive every other month.
The number of kids being served jumped from about 1, 600 last year to 2, 739 as this semester comes to a close. Rambo said 37 schools are enrolled in the program.
The program will continue throughout the summer for year-round schools and Head Start programs.
Some of the feedback the program has received has been pleasantly surprising. Counselors at the schools and Head Start centers are required to submit a report to Rambo on what the children are saying about the Snack Pack Program.
Teachers at Centerton Gamble Elementary School were caught off guard, Rambo said, when kids receiving the snack packs had more ability to pay attention and stay focused on Mondays. Another unexpected effect was that Garfield Elementary School officials said their attendance was up on Fridays because kids would come to school so they could get their snack packs.
"That's more time the children are in the classroom; we're for that," Rambo said. "This program is a great way for the community to be proactive for children to stay healthy and stay focused."
The Wal-Mart Foundation's $ 100, 000 donation to the Snack Pack Program largely funds the program's activity, but Rambo said she wants to get more community organizations and smaller vendors involved and move away from the Wal-Mart Foundation being the primary source of funding.
"Moving away from one source of funding would just be smart for any organization," Rambo said. "The foundation's funding has allowed us to do so much the past few years; that's why the program has been allowed to grow so much.
A granola bar, a fruit cup, instant noodles and a package of peanut butter crackers can make a difference in a kid's life.
This is the feedback the Samaritan Community Center and the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank are getting from their weekly Snack Pack Program that provides almost 3, 000 kids in four counties with healthy snacks to take home every weekend.
Samaritan Community Center Director Debbie Rambo said teachers and counselors at the participating 61 schools select children who they think would benefit from the program.
"There are different criteria, for example if a child is on the free lunch at school, if a family's financial situation suddenly changes or if there's a single parent who works to provide for the family," Rambo said. "Every snack bag is individually portioned, and we try and focus on healthier snacks."
In its fourth year, the program has grown dramatically since it started, Rambo said.
"We started with three schools in Benton County with about 300 children, and Ozark Food Bank (now Northwest Arkansas Food Bank ) had one school with about 100 children. Then we decided to start working together," Rambo said.
The program, which is funded by various companies, vendors and foundations, is driven by community members who volunteer their time to buy, pack, load and drive the snack packs to schools in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties.
Rambo estimated $ 12, 000 to $ 15, 000 is spent on snacks each month. The only other expenses to the program are a part-time staff member who coordinates the program and a driver who delivers snack packages to rural schools once a month.
"Sam's (Club ) told me months ago I was their No. 1 customer. We buy everything in bulk from them," Rambo said.
Ted Viala with the Bentonville-Bella Vista Rotary Club said members of the organization, after Rambo spoke at a club meeting in November, decided they could help out by holding a food drive every other month.
The number of kids being served jumped from about 1, 600 last year to 2, 739 as this semester comes to a close. Rambo said 37 schools are enrolled in the program.
The program will continue throughout the summer for year-round schools and Head Start programs.
Some of the feedback the program has received has been pleasantly surprising. Counselors at the schools and Head Start centers are required to submit a report to Rambo on what the children are saying about the Snack Pack Program.
Teachers at Centerton Gamble Elementary School were caught off guard, Rambo said, when kids receiving the snack packs had more ability to pay attention and stay focused on Mondays. Another unexpected effect was that Garfield Elementary School officials said their attendance was up on Fridays because kids would come to school so they could get their snack packs.
"That's more time the children are in the classroom; we're for that," Rambo said. "This program is a great way for the community to be proactive for children to stay healthy and stay focused."
The Wal-Mart Foundation's $ 100, 000 donation to the Snack Pack Program largely funds the program's activity, but Rambo said she wants to get more community organizations and smaller vendors involved and move away from the Wal-Mart Foundation being the primary source of funding.
"Moving away from one source of funding would just be smart for any organization," Rambo said. "The foundation's funding has allowed us to do so much the past few years; that's why the program has been allowed to grow so much.
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