As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching there are many incredible organizations and schools participating in community food drives to help feed local families in need. This is a great time of the year to give back and we all know how hard the past 2 years have been on so many due to the pandemic.
Over the past year I have subbed at my kids' elementary school. For some children in many communities their school meals are the only decent meals they receive all day. I've seen in many instances where there are children without snacks. If you have a really picky eater or the school lunch is less than appetizing having an afternoon snack can make a big difference in their performance at school. I can't tell you the number of times I've had a student come up to me telling me they have no snack as the other students pull their snacks from their bags before heading to the playground for recess. My heart has broken many times over a child crying because they have nothing to snack on with the rest of their peers. I've since made it a habit to bring a few extra snacks in my bag that are allergen-friendly for this reason.
I can also tell you the generous and kind hearts of many of the children I've taught that had extras and were willing to share. I used to get upset when I'd find out my kids were giving away their snacks at school, thinking it was simply because they didn't like what was packed. After all, we were buying these weekly to send them with something to have in the afternoons and they weren't even eating them; only to come home starving because they hadn't eaten since lunch. It wasn't until I realized what the issue really was and that they didn't want to see their friends go without. So I started sending them with a few extra little snacks for this purpose.
Spending an extra $5-$10 on a bigger box or package of snacks to send my kids with wasn't a hardship for us since we already buy in bulk. Plus, I was so proud of my kids for thinking of others before themselves. Just be sure to check in with your child's teacher about students who have specific dietary restrictions that might limit what they can have.
I realize this isn't feasible for every parent, so another way to give back is by getting breakfast at school. Let me explain. Our schools participate in the free lunch program so students do not pay for breakfast or lunch regardless of their income bracket. In most classrooms, teachers will have students leave unopened items from their breakfast on a table or area in the front of the classroom before throwing away their plates. Most of the breakfast items are pre-packaged. These are usually things like unopened cereal bowls or wrapped packages of cookies and things that aren't perishable or needing to be kept cold. This way if a student comes in late and didn't receive breakfast or has no snack they can choose something from this area to snack on. However, the majority that get breakfast do eat it so there isn't always something left to choose from. Since my kids usually always eat breakfast at home they've had no reason to go to the cafeteria in the mornings to get breakfast. After seeing this practice of leaving unopened items for others to have I started encouraging them to go to breakfast so they could do the same. So as not to cause any wasted food I tell them to leave anything that is hot, opened, or has to be kept refrigerated when getting their plates (i.e. milk, orange juice, open fruit cups) unless they intend on eating or drinking them.
In the spirit of giving back for the month of November I'd like to encourage parents, who are able to, to send an extra snack or two with your kids with the intention of giving to someone who has none. If you're concerned with sharing snacks that could be problematic for students with food restrictions, ask your child's teacher if you can donate a bag or box of acceptable snacks to be kept in the classroom reserved for students without snacks.
