Power Snack visits BCLUW CSD
posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2018
“If a student doesn’t have a full belly then it is hard for them to concentrate in school,” said Kristin Houston, counselor at BCLUW Community Schools. “If their stomach is growling that is what they are going to focus on, not what their teachers are saying.”
Food insecurity is a common problem among students grades K-12. In fact, 1 in 5 Iowa children are considered food insecure, meaning they do not have enough to eat.
“Our students truly benefit and rely on programs like Power Snack to meet their basic nutrition needs,” said Kristin. “Oftentimes hunger is a situation that is out of their hands. The extra support really helps them and their families out.”
A program of Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation, Power Snack provides children with $5 coupons for deli ham and $3 coupons for a loaf of whole wheat bread. The coupons are distributed four times throughout the school year, typically before extended breaks when students don’t have access to school breakfast and lunch programs. In total, each student will receive enough supplies to make 36 ham sandwiches.
“As farmers and pork producers, we are passionate about assisting hunger-relief efforts in Iowa, particularly those directed towards children,” said Allyson Ladd of Iowa Select Farms. “Which is why we’ve increased the number of children served through Power Snack by approximately 13,000 since 2012. This year alone the program supports 23,267 children statewide.”
With the help of school nurses, teachers, counselors and principals, Power Snack coupons are discretely distributed to students that qualify.
“I will distribute the coupons before holiday breaks when our students are not going to be at school for a long period of time,” explained Kristin. “It just excites me so much that we can help these students have several healthy, filling meals.”
60 students within the BCLUW Community School District will benefit from the program—a contribution valued at $1,920.
Subscribe to our newsletter: Get fresh articles delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe