One of my greatest challenges as a mom of an almost four-year-old (and the twins, but they don’t really count yet) is trying to show him how blessed we are as a family. I am so thankful that he doesn’t want for any of the “major” things in life like food, shelter, healthcare, education, etc. He doesn’t have his own iPad, which apparently many kids his age do, and I get to hear about that regularly.
Although there are many great volunteer opportunities in our community, there aren’t many organizations that allow kids as young as three to volunteer and actually feel what it is like to make a difference for someone their own age. Kids helping kids is a pretty cool thing! I had the pleasure of sitting down with my friend Sally Hill to discuss a great organization called Snack Paks 4 Kids – San Antonio (“Snack Paks”).
My first introduction to Snack Paks was when my son came home from school and told me he had helped put all kinds of food in bags to help hungry kids. I asked him if he knew what it was like to be hungry, and he said, “Yes, like when you open the pantry and your favorite stuff isn’t there.” I explained that “hungry” didn’t mean simply missing his favorite kinds of food but ANY food, and that he had given other kids nutritious food so they wouldn’t be hungry. The simple activity of physically stuffing bags opened up a dialogue between me and my three-year-old about helping others in need, and we got to list food as one of the things we are thankful for, something he would have easily taken for granted had he not had this experience.
The mission of Snack Paks hit home again when I sat down with Sally to share my story and hear more about Snack Paks 4 Kids – San Antonio. She showed me this, which is a picture drawn by a student depicting how she felt before Snack Paks fed her over the weekend:
Wow! This brought tears to my eyes. I cannot imagine an adult feeling this way, let alone a child. I am so excited to be able to share Snack Paks’ mission with ACMB readers! Here is a little background:
- The Snack Pak program began at one SAISD school in the fall of 2012, and Snack Pak 4 Kids – San Antonio has recently become the first franchise of the larger SP4K program which was started in the Texas Panhandle in 2010.
- In 2015–16, Snack Paks will serve at least 1,000 kids in 12 elementary schools and two middle schools in the San Antonio area.
- Kids as young as three can come (with a parent) and volunteer to help pack snack paks for distribution.
- The packing sessions take one hour. Literally. Perfect for the attention spans of littles!
One of the most exciting things for the organization in San Antonio is that the majority of these schools will be served out of a warehouse, located in the Daily Bread Ministries’ warehouse. The warehouse allows a central location for groups to volunteer. Snack Paks is always looking for help, so school groups, sports teams, corporate groups, church groups, Girl/Boy Scouts, and individuals are needed. My son learned so much from just one day of helping. Of course, they are always looking for monetary donations to help buy food, as well as connections to food vendors to help supply food. Leslie Kingman is the San Antonio Volunteer Executive Director for all things Snack Pak, and she can be reached at [email protected] or (210) 831-4499.
If it weren’t for Snack Paks, hundreds of kids would go hungry every weekend in San Antonio. The aim is not only to meet their hunger needs, but consequently, to impact their ability to learn.
But you know what is truly amazing? Snack Paks 4 Kids doesn’t just affect those kids who need nutritional support; it changes the lives of the volunteers, of all ages, who make these packs a reality every week. Isn’t bringing our community together to help each other what it’s all about? Please think about volunteering or donating today at www.sp4ksa.org.
