The Newton Wellness Coalition is once again furthering its efforts to provide healthy snacks to children in the Newton Community School District. The coalition recently accepted an additional $2,000 grant from Farm Credit Services of America to build on the already successful healthy snack closet program.
The program, which initially started as a way to provide healthy snacks for kindergartners, transformed to include all elementary aged-children following discussions with teachers in the school district about the needs children have shown. The group also found teachers have even gone as far as purchasing snacks for their classroom when they noticed the children losing focus, in part because of hunger and lack of energy.
It received its first funds through a grant from the citywide parent teacher association for $2,000. Additional funds were also raised by Coalition Member Alayna Bailey through her work as the lifestyle director at Park Centre. The residents at Park Centre collected coins during the summer to go toward the program, in the end donating more than $400.
To begin, the coalition allotted $500 to each elementary school, in $250 portions to start.
“Woodrow Wilson is the only school currently that has requested to replenish their supply,” coalition member Jenny Thompson said.
Thompson said she is uncertain how quickly the other schools are going through the snacks and how the snacks are being used within each school. She gave the example of her child’s class where the students provide snacks about once a month while the teacher fills in the last few days themselves. She hopes to find out if the teacher is getting the snacks from the snack closet or purchasing them.
The group plans to continue allocating the funds as needed to the schools and possibly explore additional avenues where the funds for snacks could be used.
Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com