One out of four Northwest Arkansas children faces the physical, emotional, behavioral and academic challenges related to hunger and food insecurity. 

These children often experience disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake over the weekends and school breaks which are a dreaded time away from their only reliable source of food, the school cafeteria. Such disruptions have the potential to seriously jeopardize a child's intellectual and social development, which can negatively impact a child's future potential academic and economic success, detouring them from the pathway out of poverty.

ABOUT SNACKPACKS FOR KIDS

The SnackPacks for Kids program, operated by Samaritan Community Center in partnership with 146 Northwest Arkansas early childhood sites and elementary, middle, junior high and high schools, focuses on providing weekly nutritional support to over 8200 children (ages 2-18) identified by school personnel as being at highest risk for hunger or food insecurity on the weekends and school breaks. Each week approximately 100 volunteers come to SCC to pack 8-10 healthy snack food items into plastic grocery bags. These food items have been selected based upon the ability to meet older children's nutritional needs while keeping the items easy to open and prepare for younger children or children in difficult situations such as homelessness or living in motels with no cooking facilities. Weekly deliveries are made to participating schools where school personnel discreetly place SnackPacks into backpacks of participating children each Friday to insure that those children have access to food on the weekend or school break. During the summer months, we partner with feeding programs (schools, churches, other non-profit organizations) across the region to provide SnackPacks for weekly distribution to every child participating in these various programs. 

HELP RECLAIM FRIDAYS FROM HUNGER ANXIETY

SnackPacks for Kids stands in the gap for children living in poverty. The participating children are able to face Fridays free of hunger anxiety, worried if there is enough food at home to stretch until their next healthy meal at school. They are equipped to arrive at school on Monday morning healthy, attentive and eager to learn.

Will you partner with us in reclaiming Fridays for these children and free them from hunger anxiety? 

A one-time gift of $100 provides one at-risk child with weekly SnackPacks for an ENTIRE YEAR! A recurring monthly gift of $50 will increase the probability that SIX of our community's most vulnerable children will have increased self-esteem, a positive education experience, be more likely to continue their education, and confidently advance out of the cycle of poverty. 

DONATE today and SHARE with your circle of influence!