In May, Running Strong staff members Audrey and Julia visited the Menominee Indian School District, where Running Strong funds the Smart Sacks Program. Through the Smart Sacks program, you help provide kids in pre-K through 5th grade with healthy food to take home on the weekends, so that they can return to school ready to learn on Mondays. When Audrey and Julia witnessed Smart Sacks in action, the children were so happy and grateful to have the food you provided. There were many smiles, and the kids were eager to tell us which of the foods they liked best (“apple juice!”, “pears!”).
Together, we worked out a plan to expand “Smart Sacks” from pre-K through the 5th grade, feeding over 400 kids each week! That’s over 12,000 Smart Snacks each year!
It is almost summer time – which means the launch of one of our other food programs. Your support helps provide healthy foods and a safe and fun environment for kids from June to August through our Summer Youth Feeding Program! Located on the Cheyenne River Reservation, the Summer Youth Feeding program gives kids the opportunity to have healthy meals during a time when they don’t have access to school-provided lunches.
Now, every summer, we partner with the USDA to feed kids five days a week at four community centers on the reservation. All children have to do is show up and we provide them with a free lunch that includes milk and fresh fruit. In addition to healthy meals we provide the kids with coloring pages full of kid-friendly nutritious facts and fun prizes too!
This year the Summer Youth Feeding Program runs from 6/2/14 through 8/15/14.
