During the school week, many children participate in the Free and Reduced Breakfast and Lunch Program at their school. Some children go home on weekends without a guarantee that there will be sufficient or healthy food over the weekend. They may come to school Monday morning tired, hungry and irritable….not ready to learn.

History of Snak Paks for Kids® Program

Initiated in January, 2004, the Snak Paks for Kids® Program was piloted by a partnership between St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church, Erickson Elementary School and the Community Food Bank. With a grant from Tucson Electric Power and countless volunteer hours, the Snak Pak for Kids® Program got off to a great start. In 2005, the program was continued with a grant from the Diamond Family Foundation. In 2006, the program was the recipient of the generosity of the UA4Food Drive which enabled us to enhance and expand the program to include five community partners and eight schools, serving a total of 655 children. In 2009, Angel Charity for Children, Inc. generous donation added six additional schools and 450 children to the program.

How the Snak Paks for Kids® Operates

The Snak Paks for Kids® Program utilizes a unique relationship with community partners and participating schools to provide children who have been identified as needing additional food assistance over the weekend with a pack of nutritious, child-friendly food.

Staff at participating schools identify the children at their respective schools and every Friday these children go home with a pack full of healthy food to see them through the weekend.  Each school has a community partner (a place of faith, civic group, another school, etc.) who, every week, picks up food in bulk from the Community Food Bank, puts the Snak Pak together for each student of their partner school and then delivers those Snak Paks to the school.

The Snak Paks are also used as a tool to provide education to the children and their families about health and nutrition information, programs and services of the Community Food Bank, and federal, state and local programs for which the family may qualify.

School Qualifications

• 75% of the students attending the school must be participating in the Free and Reduced Breakfast and Lunch Program

Facts about Snak Paks for Kids

• Participating schools tell us that children are sick less often, have fewer stomach aches, and are more eager and able to learn.
• From the 2008-2009 school year to the 2009-2010 school year, the program grew 51% (from 655 children to 1,298 children).
• During the 2009-2010 school year, approximately 44,132 Snak Paks were distributed.
• The program operates in 17 schools in Pima County.
• There are 11 community partners.

Contact

For more information about the Snak Paks for Kids® Program please contact Debra Leffler, Child Nutrition Programs Manager, at (520) 882-3285 or dleffler@communityfoodbank.org..