“We have dozens of kids in our district that only eat at school,” said Amanda Miller, counselor at the East Sac County Community School District. “A child can’t learn if they are starving.”
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 Amanda. “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.
“We will distribute these coupons to students and families through our food pantry program,” explained Amanda. “They will be very helpful and give students the opportunity to eat healthy!”
This year, 53 students within the East Sac Community School District will receive Power Snack coupons—a contribution valued at $1,696 and enough resources to make 1,908 ham sandwiches.
