Celebrating the Foundation: Power Snacks
posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2019
"When children are hungry, they can’t focus at school,” said Megan Smith, a nurse at Nashua-Plainfield Community Schools. “The reality is that hunger is a significant problem many of our kids are facing.”
Megan is one of hundreds of teachers, nurses and school principals who spoke about the struggles they see when their students aren’t getting enough to eat, especially protein.
This is why Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation works to power kids with protein and energy that is rich in nutrients—like ham and whole wheat bread. Food that is critical to physical and cognitive development.
The program provides coupon packs to each child’s family for four pounds of free deli ham (valued at $5 per pound) and four loaves of whole wheat bread ($3 per loaf) for making 48 filling, high-protein “Power Snacks” each year.
Last fall, the Foundation hand-delivered Power Snack kits to 124 Iowa schools, a list that grew 33% over 2017.
The coupons include a Protein Power! booklet filled with easy recipes, such as how to make the perfect ham sandwich, scrambled eggs and ham, grilled ham and cheese, ham wraps, ham pizza snacks and ham, cheese and crackers.
Now in its sixth year, the Power Snack™ Program offered coupon bundles to more than 24,000 children identified by their schools and teachers as food insecure — an increase of 5,951 students from 2017.
We do this because we care tremendously about helping children and believe what we are doing is making a difference in their lives.
Our hearts are full as we continue to field donations for the Foundation from employees, contractors, truck drivers, manure customers and all friends, families and communities. We invite all of you to keep sending those pledges back into the Foundation.
Donate online here.
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