Back-to-school season is here and we’re collecting school snacks to help keep local students fueled and ready to learn. A snack can help bridge the gap between meals, provide an extra boost of energy during a busy day, or make sure a student has something to eat when they need it.

That’s why school snacks are our September Donation Need of the Month!

Helping Kids Stay Fueled at School

Through our partnership with the Stillwater Area School District, Valley Outreach provides school snacks to the district throughout the school year. We coordinate with Monica Kubow, Health Services Supervisor for Stillwater Area School District, to make sure snacks reach students who need them.

Once a month, Valley Outreach delivers about 100 pounds of snacks to the district, which distributes them among all 12 school health offices. From there, school health staff make snacks available to students whenever they need them.

“We are grateful for our partnership with Valley Outreach,” says Kubow.

A student might visit the health office because they didn’t have breakfast, are hungry during the school day, or simply need a snack to keep them going. Snacks can also help meet specific health needs, such as providing carbohydrates to a student whose blood sugar is low.

For Valley Outreach volunteer Dave Herder, delivering the snacks has become a meaningful part of his volunteer work. Dave is our longest serving volunteer, with 16 years of dedicated service.

“I really enjoy making the school snack deliveries. It’s a simple way to help, but I know these snacks make a difference for kids who need them during the school day.”

Community donations are what keep this partnership going. While we also receive snacks through food bank purchases and food rescue through local grocery stores, community donations make up the largest share of what we provide to schools.

What Makes a Good School Snack?

For school snack donations, we’re looking for items that are individually packaged, shelf-stable, easy to grab and eat, and kid-friendly.

Some great options include:

• Granola or snack bars (nut-free) – most needed!
• Fruit cups or applesauce
• Crackers or pretzels
• Fruit leather
• Popcorn
• Raisins or other dried fruit
• Other individually packaged, grab-and-go snacks

Individually packaged snacks are especially helpful because they’re easy for students to grab and enjoy throughout the school day.

Add a Few Snacks to Your Cart

Next time you’re grocery shopping, grab a few extra snacks to help keep kids fueled at school. A box of granola bars, a package of applesauce cups, or a few bags of individually packaged crackers can help us keep up with the ongoing need for school snacks.

You can also turn your donation into a group effort by hosting a school snack drive with your workplace, faith community, neighborhood, school, or other organization. Check out our Hosting a Drive Toolkit for ideas and resources to help you get started.

Together, we can help keep local kids fueled, focused, and ready to learn all school year long!