Random Acts of Kindness

Kindergarten teachers at Wheeler Elementary School recently taught their students about communities, needs, and wants. They wanted for the lesson to come alive for the kiddos, so they decided to take the lesson even further. The question was, "How can we help with needs in our community?" With the temperatures continuing to drop, the children decided to help local houseless individuals receive some much needed winter survival gear and snack food items.

Teachers organized a school-wide collection for the Kindergarten Service Project. The kids made posters, decorated flyers, and even included handwritten notes and pictures with the donations. In total, the group collected more than 1304 items: 11 coats, 107 pairs of gloves, 3 pairs of socks, 3 beanie hats, 385 pairs of hand warmers, 40 super warmers, 15 pairs of toe warmers, 270 cookie packs, 44 fruit cups and snacks, 51 cracker packs, 190 protein items, 30 granola bars, 1 cereal pouch, 130 drink flavor packets, and 24 sternos (donated by staff). I include the exact count as this was also a part of the learning experience for the children! All items were brought to our recent bag-filling event and given to our Street Reach partner for distribution where the items are needed the most.

Thank you Wheeler Elementary for your support of Snacks in Sacks and our mission! And thank you to all of the students, parents, and staff who gave to the cause.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Aesop

A season of Thanksgiving

60 snack bags were delivered to Fern Creek UMC Street Reach last week - thanks in large part to a family from Upstate New York. The family of 5 were in town visiting relatives for the Thanksgiving holiday. Their traditional volunteer activity was not a practical option (being over 500 miles away), but that didn't stop their enthusiasm for helping those in need. The KY family members (long-time supporters of Snacks in Sacks) suggested that the group fill bags for the local nonprofit. The idea of helping to provide snacks for those with food insecurity - at a time often centered around feasting - seemed like a perfect fit. One quick trip to Sam's Club, and the fun was underway!

The "kids," ranging from 7 to 18 years of age, made short work of unloading the goodies from the vehicle and unboxing it all into piles on kitchen countertops and folding tables. Assembly instructions were provided, and the families filed around the room in typical Snacks in Sacks fashion: moving from one category to the next, hand selecting flavors of granola bars, chips, fruits and more for the recipient of each bag. With 9 sets of hands helping, the task was complete in no time. The proof is in the picture. A family gathered in a small space can still make a huge difference!!! Special thanks to the Grzebinski family for your support. We are so glad that you enjoyed your first bag-filling event!

St. Martha Families Answer the Call

St. Martha families really showed up for Snacks in Sacks and Street Reach this month! When Rev. Darryl Glass told the community that he was running low on snack bags, St. Martha 8th graders and their families rallied to assemble them, putting together hundreds of bags for those experiencing homelessness in our community. Snack bags are fun and easy to assemble for families and groups of any size. If you would like to make snack bags for street outreach, you can find instructions and contact information on the Support Us page of our website. And don't forget to RSVP and join us for our bag filling event on December 18 at St. Martha in the cafeteria. Thank you to St. Martha Catholic Church and School for your faithful support of Snacks in Sacks!