It seems unreal that children right here in Northwest Arkansas could be going hungry on the weekends due to a lack of food. But it is a reality. During the school year, our Snackpacks for Kids program provides over 5,600 children (identified by school personnel as being at-risk for hunger or food insecurity on the weekends) with a grocery bag filled with 8-10 healthy snack food items. During the summer months, we distribute snackpacks through various community feeding programs across the area.

This project will help one site feed 200 kids for one weekend. Sound insignificant? Read on to see the feedback we have received from school counselors about the impact of a single snackpack:

"Two of our children have been living in a motel this month while their parents look for new housing for the family. The girls have been so happy to have snackpacks to take to the motel room with them where there has not been much room to store or prepare food."

"I had a family who had all of their utilities shut off this month, no vehicle, no phone. They were very thankful for the snackpacks each week as they did not have a refrigerator or stove to prepare food."

"One of my snackpack kid's mom was taken to the hospital in an ambulance last night after taking too many pills when she learned that the stepdad had a girlfriend. The little girl shared that her mom was the only one with a job and she didn't know if the stepdad had any money for groceries. I sent an extra snackpack home with her which really seemed to make her worry less about the night. Thanks for giving kids a little control when they feel helpless and worried."  

 

For additional information on you can make a difference in supporting this program, such as delivering snackpacks or holding a food drive, contact our Snackpacks for Kids Coordinator, Bonnie Faitak (bfaitak@samcc.org).