Grace Northridge brought the Snack Pak 4 Kids model to the San Antonio area in 2012, starting the first SP4KSA program at Lamar Elementary School. Now in 25 schools in four school districts, Grace has provided both the structure and the model for other churches, civic organizations and businesses to adopt schools just as Grace adopted Lamar in the fall of 2012.
Grace supports the Lamar program, providing weekend food supplements every single Friday for approximately 60 children who have been identified by their teachers as being chronically hungry, without adequate nutrition to lead healthy, productive lives. During this particular season of unique needs, volunteers in the Grace community have developed an ongoing foodpantry to supplement those additional needs for families with children at Lamar.
SP4KSA honors children; it’s focus is on honoring the child, and delivering the food supplements in a way that conveys both dignity and respect. We ask teachers to discreetly place the weekly bag in the child’s own back pack during lunch or specials, when other children are not around.
Snack Paks contain 12-14 name brand, brand new items that are able to be opened and administered by a child as young as four without adult supervision. Volunteers from Grace and across the community show up on a monthly basis to prepare inventory and pack bags for all of the schools served by SP4KSA. Our Grace members also help with weekly distribution to teacher classrooms at Lamar, with monthly delivery to schools and with tote return.
If you would like to volunteer for monthly Stocking and/or Packing at our warehouse, visit our website at www.SP4KSA.org. If you would like to help specifically with the Lamar Elementary program, please email Ann Guerrero, Grace’s Lamar Coordinator, at joeyandann@me.com or complete the interest form here Snack Pak 4 Kids Sign-Up.
Snack Pak 4 Kids SA Mission Statement:
Hunger impacts a child’s ability to learn. SP4KSA provides weekend food supplements to serve the needs of chronically hungry children, addressing the relationship between food insecurity and learning.
Visit the Snack Pak SA website for more information.