The concept of a snack pack program originated years ago when a school nurse noticed that some students were arriving at school on Monday mornings with headaches, dizziness, stomach aches and fatigue. She realized that these were the same students who were receiving free or reduced lunches. The nurse reached out to a local food pantry to organize a way to provide these students with nutritious weekend snacks.
During a typical school year, snack packs are delivered to participating local schools and organizations by CFA and distributed discreetly to children at risk of hunger. This past year, childhood hunger grew exponentially as children were out of school for months with no access to school meals. During this time, CFA continued to deliver snack packs to partner organizations and schools determined to get food out to struggling students. To better support the entire family, CFA expanded our WSPP to include emergency food boxes filled with 30lbs of shelf stable items and fresh produce bags. Studies have proven children facing hunger begin life at a serious disadvantage. Our WSPP helps to break the cycle and provide families with hope for a brighter tomorrow.