Did you know that 1 in 8 Iowa children face food insecurity?
Iowa Select Farms, under the leadership of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation, is trying to do something about this growing problem by driving the change in Iowa communities to help end childhood hunger.
The Power Snack program has been delivering nutritious and delicious food to Iowa kids for nine years. Iowa Select Farms employees will be giving ham and bread coupons, along with pork sticks, to teachers and schools for distribution to their students between Oct. 20 and Nov. 15.
“We are eager to be back on the road visiting schools for this year’s Power Snack and are dedicated to continue the fight against childhood hunger in Iowa,” Eleanor Korum, communications specialist at Iowa Select Farms, said in a release. “Teachers simply submit to us the number of students that are considered at-risk for food insecurity, which can really vary by community. Sometimes it is 20% of total school enrollment, other times it’s as high as 80%. We repeatedly hear feedback from teachers and nurses that our program makes a positive impact on the lives of these children and their families.”
This program will supply enough coupons to total over 1 million ham sandwiches, as well as 20,000 pork snack sticks, organizers report.
“The Power Snack™ program provides an additional support for families who are struggling to make ends meet each day,” said Teresa Keninger, principal of Ackley Elementary, in a release. “Anything we can do to help ease the burden is worth it to us. When you provide an opportunity like this, we are happy as teachers to help get these items into the hands of families.”
The Power Snack Teacher Supply Kits will be delivered to 89 school districts in Iowa, providing kids the means to purchase nutritious food to prepare at home. Four different times throughout the school year, children identified by the school as food insecure receive a $5 coupon for deli ham and $3 coupon for a loaf of whole wheat bread. Pork sticks were added to provide a non-perishable, immediate infusion of protein for students, resulting in hunger relief and an open door to engagement in the classroom.
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