Wheeler Elementary Hosts Kindness Parties to Help the Homeless

Word of our February snack bag challenge spread to teachers at Wheeler Elementary, and they took action! They got the kids in their classrooms involved in helping members of the community where they live. I LOVE acts of service like these.

The classes had kindness parties scheduled as a way to celebrate February 14th, and Wheeler teachers hoped they could show some love to those in need. Under the direction of their teachers, kindergarten students took home flyers (with our snack item list and event details) to collect donations from friends and family. And on the day of their kindness party, they got to work! First things first...these kids are FULL of compassion. So, they decided to take the time to make some pretty special homemade cards and notes for the individuals who would receive the snack bags. How cute are these? I wish I had pictures of each and every card to share with you.

Then, they turned their attention to all of the generous donations that had been sent to Wheeler for the event. The classroom proved to be the perfect setting for a snack bag filling party. The students used their desk space to sort the donations into their categories: protein, breakfast, fruit, chips, crackers, and treats. They each grabbed a gallon bag, a spoon, and starting filling their snack bags with food as they moved around the classroom to each table.

Each teacher approached the event with their own personal touch. Some teachers love to organize every detail, and some love to involve the children in every stage of the process. We at Snacks in Sacks love it all! At the end of the challenge, the students, teachers, parents, and staff at Wheeler Elementary had all helped to collect enough snack items to assemble 282 complete bags AND over 450 extra items for us to include in future snack bags.

Each teacher commented on how much fun the kids had, and you can see some of that happy energy in the photo below! Boxes and snack bags and smiles...oh my! Thank you so much Wheeler Elementary for your continued support. Part of our mission is to enable people of all ages to express their caring through sharing. These moments inspire us!

Join our February Snack Bag Challenge!

February is the month of LOVE! Last February we challenged our community to show their love for our friends experiencing homelessness by making snack bags with their friends and family. Our community responded, and over 1500 snack bags were filled and distributed through local outreach crews.

If you'd like to join us in our mission of sending LOVE to the homeless community, please consider joining our February Snack Bag Challenge this year. We are looking for individuals, families, or groups to host their own Snack Bag Filling parties and commit to making at least 20 snack bags for us to hand over to local outreach crews for distribution. We encourage all ages to get involved and even the youngest helpers enjoy filling the bags. As an added bonus, you can submit pictures from your event to be featured on our website and our Facebook page!

Can we count on you to show the LOVE this February? If you are up for the challenge, visit this page on our website for instructions and to sign up. Thanks for your support of Snacks in Sacks!

2021: A Year in Review

2021: A Year in Review

You all are AMAZING!!!! We would not have been able to accomplish what we have this year without YOU. It has been an extremely rewarding year for SIS, our supporters, and those whom we support.

Official 501(c)(3)

The nonprofit was incorporated on March 4, 2021 under the name Sacks in Sacks Inc., and was approved for 501(c)(3) status on July 31, 2021. We are 8 board members strong, with a board consultant and three volunteer staff members helping us achieve our goals.

Because we are now a tax-exempt charitable organization, we are now able to accept monetary contributions via Facebook Fundraisers, Amazon Smile, and PayPal. Unsurprisingly, our loyal supporters have already responded by giving on all platforms. We are beyond thankful that you have chosen to support Snack in Sacks…however you have chosen to do so.

February Facebook challenge

In February our online invitation for individuals, families or groups to host their own Snack Bag Filling Party resulted in 1,521 snack bags being distributed by Fern Creek UMC Street Reach and Southend Street Angels. Thank you to the 35 families and individuals who participated.

Ahrens Work Transition Program partnership

Our new website launched in March, and news stories began to pour in as our community continued to support our ongoing need for snack bags outside of our in-person events. Notable among these was our collaboration with the Ahrens Work Transition Program. Amanda Jones worked with a group of students (aged 18-21 with special needs) to put together over 2,434 snack bags across 2 months. Their efforts were so successful that news of their hard work made it to the JCPS Daily Newsletter and WLKY News. A huge shout out to Amanda and her students.

KY Harvest donations

The ball continued to roll as Snacks in Sacks became affiliated with KY Harvest in April. Through KY Harvest's network of partners, Snacks in Sacks received approximately 140 pounds of snack food this year!

Wheeler Elementary's drive-thru snack drive

Donations continued to pour in as Wheeler Elementary's Student Council chose SIS as the beneficiary for their community service project. They organized a drive-thru snack drive in April and collected 3,583 snack food items from students, parents, and staff. Thank you Wheeler.

July's event: St. Martha's gymnasium

We were thrilled to welcome volunteers back to our in-person event on July 24th. We were able to put together an astonishing 2,515 bags; a new record for a Snacks in Sacks event! As always, this would not have been possible without YOU. Thanks to St. Martha Catholic Church and their 8th grade confirmation class for sponsoring the event.

December's event: St. Martha's cafeteria

Our second in-person event for the year, sponsored by Scout Troop 194, took place December 18th. Thank you to everyone who sent donations ahead of the event through the Amazon WishList, and thank you to all of the volunteers who participated. We were able to fill 1,928 snack bags for the Street Reach crew, and we had a great time doing it!

The next day we celebrated more great news as we learned that Spectrum had awarded our organization a grant in the amount of $1,000. Thanks Spectrum.

Total

The total number of snack bags assembled during 2021 was…drumroll…11,261. Wow!!! This is a new record for Snacks in Sacks, and it more than doubled our year-end total from 2020. With the number of bags we have been able to fill this year, we have been able to regularly support our Street Reach partner at Fern Creek United Methodist Church. Also, we were able to provide minor support to other outreach groups in their efforts to care for vulnerable individuals in our community: Southend Street Angels, The Forgotten Louisville, and Exodus Family Ministries.

Thank you

Thank you for all that you do to help us help others. Snacks in Sacks was born from a desire to make a difference in our local areas, and this year we certainly have. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!