2025: A Year in Review

It truly does take a community to be able to make great things happen. And YOU are our community. This year we get to celebrate a record number of snack bags: 15,097! That’s 3,401 more than last year. And while that’s certainly worth getting excited about, we know that we don’t do what we do in order to hit a new record. We pour our hearts and our efforts into this group because it helps to meet a very real need out there. 

We partner with Fern Creek UMC Street Reach, The Forgotten Louisville, Jacob’s Ladder, Jacob's Generation, Keep Louisville Warm, Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered, Southend Street Angels, and Homeland Homeless Outreach to distribute these snack bags into the community where they are needed the most - like the camps that are now hidden away to stay protected from being cleared away. I served at some of these camps recently, and I can tell you that I still feel such joy to be a part of something that means so much to those fighting food insecurity. They depend on these bags as much as they depend on the other items essential for survival, like heat sources and potable water. 

So THANK YOU to our donors, supporters, volunteers, outreach partners, and our corporate donors. Below we’d like to recap what we were able to do together. This end-of-the-year summary is exhaustive, but not all-inclusive. We also have several anonymous donors and those who give bags without sending pictures to post. Thank you ALL for ALL of your hard work and generosity.

Thank you so much to Greg Drake and the great people at Spectrum for including us in their community giving program again this year! Pictured (right image) are a representative from Spectrum, Kentucky House Minority Leader Pamela Stevenson, Spectrum employee Greg Drake, and Snacks in Sacks board member Angela Doyle. 

Our heartfelt thanks to those pictured above as well as those who sent in donations ahead of the event. We had a great bag-making event at the Academy For Individual Excellence in February, and we were able to make 1,135 snack bags. A special thank you to Barrett Traditional Middle School Beta Club for all of your help!  

Thanks to  Village School of Louisville for including Snacks in Sacks in their service gathering. Students and families brought supplies and put together 60 snack bags for the houseless in our community. 

Many thanks to our friends at  Ahrens Work Transition Program for making and dropping off 755 total snack bags this year. And THANK YOU to Knowfully Learning Group for the grant that supported this invaluable partnership for its 5th year.

A huge shoutout to our friends at Christ Church United Methodist. They showed up BIG for us this year making 1,141 snack bags for outreach in March as well as featuring us as the beneficiary of their VBS fundraising efforts. Their successful campaign raised over $3,000, and they hosted a snack bag making event as part of their annual Christ Church Cares Day in September. They assembled 1,000 snack bags for those experiencing houselessess and food insecurity! Christ Church UMC also put together 377 winter supply bags, 214 hygiene kits, and gave 50 $5 McDonald’s gift cards to Street Reach.

Thank you to the Seneca High School RedHawk Rangers for collecting supplies and making over 100 snack bags! 

The friendly folks pictured here gave up 1-1/2 hours of their weekend in June to help us fill 1,176 bags with tons of yummy snacks for the hungry. A sincere thank you to the family that dropped off around 500 items (chips, Cliff bars, treats, fruit snacks, etc.) for the event. What a blessing! Thanks, St. Michael Catholic Church, for hosting the event!

Over the summer, Melanie Page organized a bowl and bag event. What a fun idea! I love how this party brought the girls together to bond and pay it forward.

We had another new group support our mission this year as they gathered for volunteer service parties:18 kids made 72 snack bags in addition to supporting other good causes by collecting diapers, wipes, dog food, and making cards for seniors.

We appreciate their spirit of service to the community!

We gathered at Fern Creek UMC for a huge bag filling event. With generous support from the  Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, we made over 2,210 snack bags for our houseless friends. We are grateful to have been chosen again as a recipient for a grant through their Good Works Program.

Thank you to the St. Michael Catholic Parish youth group for making and dropping off 100 snack bags! 

Our friends at St. Nicholas Academy honored us for the 2nd year in a row during their service learning project. They collected a tremendous amount of donations for Snacks in Sacks (an entire car load)! Those tiny bodies contain such big hearts!

Westport Road Baptist Church hosted a wonderful event pulling together approximately 50 people to make 639 snack bags from donations collected. Carmita (navy shirt), Melissa (yellow blouse), and others from the church have loyally supported Street Reach monthly. And their first big public event was a huge success.

Girl Scouts from St. Edward School in Jeffersontown filled 443 snack bags for the cause.

AAA on Rockford Lane in Shively made snack bags again this year!  Thanks, ladies!

The Jollie family hosted a Kindness bagging event in the neighborhood for the second year in a row. The neighbors really enjoy participating in the community outreach.

We were happy to be a part of another event hosted by  Down Syndrome of Louisville. It has become a pre-Thanksgiving tradition, and this year, our friends packed 663 snack bags for houseless outreach. 

In November we gathered at Clifton Universalist Unitarian Church to celebrate the act of giving thanks with our words and our deeds. Thanks to donations collected by the church and other SIS supporters, were able to put together 758 snack bags today!!!

We also filled up the food pantry outside the church with snack bags before delivering the remainder to our outreach partners. After all - our mission is to feed those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity in the neighborhoods around us.

Spectrum News stopped by - unexpectedly - and recorded a clip of the bagging event as well as a brief interview with Emme (the daughter of our nonprofit’s founder, Trisha).

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Cto4zKHyY/

We received another shoutout from Louisville Public Media in an article written about The congregation of Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral. The church has made hundreds of bags to date following their morning services. They distribute the bags to their unhoused neighbors as well as the women and children who stay overnight at their Room in the Inn shelter. Snacks in Sacks will continue to support their cause as they serve the growing population.

Big thanks to LHC Cub Scouts Pack 175 from St. Edward who made 625 snack bags at their Christmas party! 

We had a great bag-making event in December at St. Martha School (thank you for hosting!). Many thanks to Super Troop 194 for sponsoring! We had several groups join us, including Burnett Avenue Baptist Church and Seneca High School National Honor Society. We made 1,643 snack bags!

Special thanks to the Norton Children’s Research Institute team who made and dropped off several boxes of snack bags and wonderful hand-knitted hats. These gifts arrived just before Christmas. Kindness is always right on time. And we just love seeing how each group adds their own personal twist to make a bagging event something to remember.

Snacks in Sacks began after a single person was inspired to do something to contribute to the greater good. But the success of her passion was contingent upon others also getting involved. Our loyal group of supporters includes those who regularly share our posts on social media, those that give monthly through PayPal and  Venmo, those who send donations through our  Amazon Wishlist, and those who host their own private events as well as those who attend our quarterly bagging events. We see those of you who send us spare change through  Kroger Community Rewards ($90.08 received throughout 2025) and the Walmart Spark Good Round Up Program ($100.64 received throughout 2025).

We received close to $16,000 in grants, matching donations, and large private donations this year. Thank you to the Kentucky Colonels, Charter Communications/Spectrum Community Grants, Surgent McCoy, UPS donations and company match, J-town Sam's Club, J-town Walmart Neighborhood Market, Fern Creek Walmart, and Knowfully Learning Group. The community at large really rallied around us, and we cannot show enough appreciation. This year was ONLY successful because of YOU!

2024: Looking Back

Have we all gotten used to writing 2025 as the year? Well, don't let our belated annual report throw you off your game! When I think back to last year, I remember the pictures showing all of the smiling faces that helped us bring it all together. So - this year, we celebrate our donors and volunteers: those who are pictured, and those who gave in secret. Thank you...thank you...a million thank you's! We'd like to highlight all of the groups who hosted private bagging events, and those who hosted snack items collection drives for Snacks in Sacks. Here are just a few....

Super Troop & Power Pack 194 sponsored our December bagging event and St. Martha Community hosted and contributed to our 2,179 bag count.

Bullitt East National Honor Society and Beta Club assembled more than 200 snack bags!

A loyal supporter hosted a bagging event for her neighborhood, donating 212 snack bags (top), and an elementary school classroom had a bagging party after learning a bit more about homelessness and food insecurity (bottom) for World Kindness Day.

The Picklesimer family took time to make snack bags during the hectic season of giving.

St. Edward's Cub Scout Pack 175 made 400 snack bags.

Girl Scout Troop 1817 and Troop 498 (pictured respectively) gathered with hearts of service during their respective Christmas parties and bagged donated snacks for outreach.

Primrose School at Old Henry Crossing and Primrose School of East Louisville collected THOUSANDS of snacks items to contribute to our December bagging event.

Ahrens Work Transition Program was able to continue their support of Snacks in Sacks for a 4th year thanks to a generous donation from KnowFully Learning Group, culminating in 1,236 assembled bags.

Homeland, a recognized student organization at UofL, gathered 60 volunteers together and made 317 snacks bags for homeless outreach.

Old Mill Elementary's Kindness Club thought of the homeless and made 114 snack bags. The group also donated extra snack items collected for the cause.

AAA Shively (Rockford Lane) put together more than 100 snack bags for the local community.

Down Syndrome of Louisville invited Snacks in Sacks board members and our families back for the 3rd year. Together we made 316 bags at their November ThanksGIVE party.

The Kentuckiana Alumnae Chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi gathered together at Family Realty to share stories while putting together 204 snack bags.

St. Nicholas Academy hosted a snack food items collection and donated more than 800 items to Snacks and Sacks.

We'd also like to thank Sacred Heart Model School 2nd grade for hosting a private bagging event (50 bags), as well as Wheeler Elementary and Fern Creek Elementary for collecting more than 2,000 snacks items for our March bagging event. We also had significant help from groups of student volunteers including Trinity High School, Seneca High School's NHS, Barret Middle School, and more. Getting the kids involved in giving back means to much!

Thank you all SO VERY MUCH!!!! It's the little things as much as the big things that keep this mission moving forward. Monetary donations, snack item collections, bagging events, corporate grants...it all works together to support our local outreach groups.

Grants like these help us meet the ongoing needs in the community. Thank you Walmart Neighborhood Market on Ruckriegel Parkway in Jeffersontown for supporting us through the Spark Good local grants program. Thank you Spectrum/Charter Communications for supporting us through your Spectrum Employee Community Grants (SECG). And thank you to Sam's Club in Jeffersontown for the generous grant to help us continue our work.

A HUGE thank you to The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels for sponsoring our September bagging event at Fern Creek United Methodist Church. The grant, provided through the Good Works program, enabled us to assemble 2,315 bags for outreach. We are also extremely grateful for the large group of volunteers that came from Christ Church United Methodist to help us with the fun work of putting the snacks into all of the bags. We had first-time volunteers show up to the event, and we welcomed the return of many friendly and familiar faces.

St. Michael Catholic school hosted our June event. Thanks to our volunteers and Amazon Wishlist shoppers, we made 1,145 bags.

All together, we were able to give 11,696 snack bags to our outreach crews. And now, we'd like to give a BIG shoutout our partner outreach crews that work hard to get these bags into the hands of those in need: Street Reach, The Forgotten Louisville, Share the Love Outreach, Jacob's Ladder, Keep Louisville Warm, Southend Street Angels, Homeland, and Kept, Inc.

We launched a fundraiser on our Facebook page last December to collect funds for the purchase of sterno can heat sources for those surviving on the streets in the frigid temperatures. And you guys showed up! We were able to send 16 cases to Street Reach for distribution throughout the camps. That's 192 cans - each providing 6 hours of heat. We all remember how miserable December and January felt outside. Thank you for going the extra mile to help the less fortunate.

All of our supporters are absolutely amazing!!! We appreciate the PayPal and Venmo donations. We are grateful to those who send donations through our Amazon Wishlist. We see those of you who send us spare change through Kroger Community Rewards. Throughout 2024 we received a total of $153.25.

(If you would like to enroll, simply login to your Kroger account, go to My Account and select "View Community Rewards" towards the bottom. You can either search for Snacks in Sacks Inc. by name or use the code BL609 and then click "Enroll.")

We also collected your spare change through the Walmart Round Up Program. Spark Good Round up is a program that allows Walmart.com and Walmart app customers to round up their purchase total to the nearest dollar at checkout and donate the "change" to a charitable nonprofit of their choice. We received deposits totaling $103.66 last year.

I'd call that a SUCCESSFUL year!!! Now let's bring all of that energy and enthusiasm into 2025! Maybe we will see you at 9 am for our February 15th bagging event at The Academy for Individual Excellence. Until then, have a great day!

Bring up a child by teaching him the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn away from it.

I just LOVE to see when children are taught the importance of thinking of others. Part of the Snacks in Sacks mission states: "Our events create opportunities for volunteers of all ages and all incomes to contribute to our local communities." We truly want to enable others to "to express their caring through sharing." And once again, you all have shown up!

St. Nicholas Academy invited me to come and speak to the student body about the homelessness in Louisville. The staff members and administration wanted the children to understand the need that exists all around us as well as what organizations like ours (and donors like them) do to help make a difference.

I helped them to understand that there are roughly 2500-3000 homeless people in our local community (men, women, and children). Some of those are able to stay with family for periods of time and some couch surf (move from house to house wherever a spot is available). Some of those are able to stay in a shelter. But many people are still surviving on the streets.

I asked the children to raise a hand if they had ever noticed a tent on the side of a road - like maybe on their way to the Louisville Zoo - or a sleeping bag under an overpass. I mentioned that while new laws may mean that we don't see people living on the streets as much anymore, they are still there. In fact, there are approximately 600 homeless people on the streets at any given time.

I began to summarize the story Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. I told the students that our different food categories were like the different ingredients that the travelers added to the stone soup in order to turn the soup into a feast "fit for a king." The neighbors in the impoverished town did not believe that had enough food to provide a meal to share with the hungry travelers. And not a single neighbor did have each ingredient necessary. However, as one brought the salt and pepper, another brought carrots, and another brought cabbage, and another brought meat, etc. In the end, they had worked together and were all able to enjoy a hearty feast.

And so, during the month of October, the St. Nicholas families chipped in what they could. And I returned to watch the students carefully box up their snack-sized donations: 44 proteins, 151 breakfast items, 90 fruit items, 168 chips, 222 crackers, 106 treats, and 20 gallon bags. That's a grand total of more than 800 items for homeless outreach!!! Thank you all! We feel so honored each time that a business, school, family, individual, or academic / athletic group chooses to support our cause.

And...I have to brag...these kids knew that they could offer more help. So - they carried the boxes and bins to my van. I'm just so impressed!

Did you notice something is that last picture? Don't worry - the shoe was returned to its rightful owner. Haha. I had to include this final image because I will always smile over how excited this young man was to use a dolly for the first time. I just love the enthusiasm of our youth. Isn't it inspiring? Keep doing great things, kids! We're all cheering you on!!!