Making Back to School, Cool!
This summer, the San Antonio Food Bank led an aggressive campaign to meet the needs of children who are at risk of food insecurity during the 11 weeks of school vacation. With your help, we collected food and funds to help provide more than a million summer meals for kids and their families. But the campaign isn’t over yet, as summer comes to a close and the excitement of school builds, there are still so many children who need our help.
Not only did we do a tremendous job ensuring that children, who may have gone hungry with no access to their usual school meals, were fed. But we also fed children food they have never had access to. Nine year old Alanah learned how to cook and eat spinach for the very first time in her life at our Healthy Cooking Class. Six year old Christy, who had never tasted a grape, yelled, “This is better than a cookie!” when she received her bag full of produce in our Farm Fresh Friday program.
We learned from children that their parents had to make tough choices. “My mom doesn’t buy that many fruits or vegetables because we can’t afford them,” said twelve year old Isaiah. A child should never know their parent has to make tough choices. The school year should be a time of learning and being a child.
Many children who receive food from the Food Bank are eager for school to start. When school is in, a meal is guaranteed. They look forward to a breakfast in the cafeteria with their friends and lunch in the same spot. Knowing they can rely on this meal, a child can focus on important learning. The San Antonio Food Bank happily ensures that an after-school snack and dinner are provided at the end of a long day. During the school year, the San Antonio Food Bank continues to nourish children through our after school Kids Cafés and our Friday Backpack Program. Both of which are often the last healthy meal of the day.
The future of so many children is directly impacted by our community and the support ensures children have the nutrition needed to excel in school and ultimately have access to better opportunities in life.
For more information about our Kids Cafe’s and Backpack Program, please contact (210) 431-8331 or visit safoodbank.org.
The San Antonio Food Bank 