Snacks for Students

The Daily Reality

Did you know that in America,
1 in 7 children may not know where they will get their next meal?
Children need their energy to learn and grow, and learning is super hard while hungry. With the many programs and subsidies that exist to help with lunch and after school food programs, snacks are easily forgotten. Snacks help students focus during their core learning time every single school day. Our little people of tomorrow burn through food so fast to support their growing bodies.
Children facing hunger are more likely to repeat an elementary grade, experience developmental impairments, and have more social and behavioral problems. The good news is that with a little help, we can easily take a bite out of daily hunger in classrooms. Families want to help support one other, but in order for them to be able to we have to create awareness of this existing need.

Meet Two Moms

Two moms who have a simple idea to implement a solution to a huge problem facing our students.
Christy Martin and Joanna Jozwik Serra
When Christy Martin, RN, BSN, brought up a shocking problem facing our students in conversation to Joanna Serra, former educator and current owner of Birdy Boutique, the two knew they immediately had to take action. This dynamic duo has already worked together on environmental projects for students, so pushing forward with new ideas is natural.
Together, they decided that they can help schools most effectively make an impact within their community by providing snacks for students in need. It's a quickly actionable solution to a large issue our students are facing.
Say hello to Snacks for Students, an easily implemented community program that will keep bellies full and learning at max capacity. Within days, it will most definitely prove to be effective in curbing the hunger of our most vulnerable students, even the ones that were just running late that day and maybe mom or dad worked a night shift and just forgot to pack snacks. Plus, this helps teachers a ton too, you have no idea how much we spend out of pocket to make sure our students have everything they need!
Both Christy and Joanna grew up with hardships that involved hunger during their early lives. Ensuring that all kids don't face additional obstacles such as hunger during the school day is a passion of their's they will see through to success, eventually expanding nationwide. Even as well fed adults, we all know what it's like to sit in that meeting after rushing and not eating, the lack of focus is truly evident. Team work will make the dream work for every single school aged child!

How It Works

It's simple.

  1. Ask your school administration if there are students that regularly come to school without snacks. It may help to create an easy free Google Forms Survey to send to teachers with one question, "On average, how many students come to school without a snack regularly?'
  2. Download and order enough stickers for each student in your school. (If your school cannot afford to order stickers, email us for help from our founding sponsor, Birdy Boutique.) Another option would be to print the stickers on sticky mailing labels, and cut them individually. 
  3. Print and copy this note (two to a page, go green!)
  4. Have a volunteer paper clip a sticker to each half page note. Send home one note and one sticker with each child.
  5. Once students and/or parents start bringing snacks in with the sticker on them, have office admin distribute them to classrooms and students in need.

Suggestion: So that schools aren't overwhelmed with snacks all at the same time, it may make sense based on your school's need to send the slips home with K-2 students in September, and 3-5 students in January.

It may be helpful to have someone appointed in charge of holding and distributing snacks to classrooms.

Snack Ideas

Costco, Meijer, Kroger, Aldi, & Sam's Club all have great deals on bulk snack items! It is important to check with the school for school wide allergies.

Some student classroom snack ideas include:

granola bars     dried fruit     raisins     

wheat crackers     popcorn   &   goldfish     

pretzels     fruit cups     applesauce

animal crackers     fruit squeezes     trail mix

tortilla chips     rice cakes     fig newtons

sun chips     snack mix     graham crackers

veggie straws     chex mix     

 

A Poem by Christy Martin

Hungry Child

Today I woke up hungry again

I really hope I can share breakfast with my friend

I think about food all morning long

Not interested in learning a song

I don’t want to read about a cat in a hat

I just want to sit and eat until I am fat

At lunch it’s a little easier because I get to eat

The food I inhale prepares me for my next feat

But as I sit in class, where I should be learning

I worry about when I’ll eat next and my stomach starts burning

I start to get anxious knowing that it’s almost time to go home

I can’t remember what was said, my mind begins to roam

I think about the snack provided by my teacher

And wonder if she knows, as I begin to greet her

That my chance to eat again won’t come until the morning.

Questions, comments, ideas, need help?

Email founders of "Snacks for Students" Christy and Joanna at their other volunteer venture: amesgreenteam@gmail.com

*Accompanying story book coming soon, which will be available at no charge digitally to educators!

For now, easily incorporate these titles into your classrooms to educate children about problems facing our communities.