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Why Snacks?
Hunger Research
Research shows that 1 in 6 children in the United States are living in households without regular access to enough food. The vast majority of these 13 million hungry children attend our nation’s public schools. Accordingly, 73% of teachers regularly observe hunger in their classroom, often purchasing snacks out-of-pocket to help feed students.
Hunger in children:
Existing meal programs — including breakfast, lunch, and after-school snack programs — only fill a portion of the hunger gap.
A Gap in Food Assistance
There are many food programs at the national, state and local levels working to end hunger. Despite these various programs, there remains a serious gap with food assistance in the classroom. The problem is most visible at snack time when some children bring healthy snacks, some bring low-quality “junk food” snacks, and still many others have nothing at all to eat. This disparity not only means that some children are undernourished or hungry but also has a social impact in the classroom.
Teachers Carry the Burden
Too often teachers dip into their own pockets to feed hungry students at snack time. Each year 2.25 million teachers spend an average of $33 a month to feed their hungry students. Collectively, teachers are spending a staggering $530 million out-of-pocket each year to provide food for their students.
According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, our most basic needs are food, water, warmth, and rest. One must satisfy their lowest level needs before they can progress and meet higher level needs. A child who does not have his or her most basic needs met cannot be expected to progress and reach their fullest potential.
You can provide a child with a classroom of state-of-the-art technology, top-tier STEM programs, highly qualified teachers and more, however, if their base needs of food, water, warmth, and rest are not met, that child will never progress.