Thursday, January 17, 2013

Homework Club Weekend Snack Bags

WHAT: 
The Community Service Office organizes homework clubs Monday through Thursday for several of our partner schools near campus in south Bethlehem.  Over 90% of the kids in these partnering schools and those participating in homework clubs are on free or reduced lunch, meaning their families live at or below the poverty line.  While these kids receive meals during school hours, food insecurities are a constant concern in the evening hours and, more importantly, on the weekends.   


SO WHAT: 
Some homework club kids do not know when or where their next meal will come from.  Processed foods, junk foods, and fast foods are more affordable than nutritious foods and healthy produce and homework club kids typically have less access to fruits, veggies, etc.  Family members may work long hours in the evenings and weekends as well meaning traditional dinner time is not commonplace for some of our homework club kids.  With this in mind, the Community Service Office provides snacks during homework clubs and two fraternities also prepare a weekly dinner for homework club kids (thanks Sig Ep and DU). It's no coincidence that on the days dinners are served, there is a 100% attendance rate at homework clubs.  HOWEVER, that still leaves the weekends...     


NOW WHAT: 
Introducing weekend snack bags.  The CSO and OFSA would like to partner with fraternities and sororities on campus to prepare and deliver weekend snack bags for homework club kids.  Chapters have the opportunity to sign up for one Thursday of the semester, prepare 41 snack bags for that date, and deliver them to our homework club locations (both in walking distance from campus).  Snack bags should include healthy items such as fruits, veggies, granola, cheese sticks, nuts, etc.  More details on logistics are included in the attachment.  This is a great way to get involved within the local community!! 


HOW DO WE GET ON BOARD: 
Email amb512@lehigh.edu to sign your chapter up.  Include a chapter contact and that person's email address and phone number.  Also include any particular date(s) your chapter would like to sign up for (see below for a list of available dates).  


WHAT DATES ARE AVAILABLE: 
Thursday, January 17
Thursday, January 24
Thursday, January 31
Thursday, February 7
Thursday, February 14
Thursday, February 21
Thursday, February 28
Thursday, March 7 - Unavailable, THANKS ATO :)
Thursday, March 21
Wednesday, March 27
Thursday, April 4
Thursday, April 11
Thursday, April 18
Thursday, April 25
 




HOW IT WORKS

§  Submit a list of the items you will be putting in the snack bags by TUESDAY of your designated week for approval

-       Email inarc@lehigh.edu

§  Prepare individual snack bags for 41 students

-       20 Fritz, 21 Nativity

-       Ages: 1st-5th grade, 6-11 years

§  Deliver snack bags to Cathedral Church of the Nativity at 4:45PM and to Fritz Memorial United Church at 5PM on THURSDAY (students leave at 5:15PM)

§  Recommend 2-4 people make deliveries (not entire chapter)

§  Wear appropriate clothing when making deliveries (nothing too revealing, no shirts with inappropriate sayings)

§  When interacting with the students, be positive, use appropriate language, describe the snack bags as a gift for the weekend (DO NOT say anything along the lines of “because you don’t get food at home”)

 

 

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN SNACK BAGS

§  Include healthy items (When some of these students do get meals, their families buy whatever is cheapest/easiest—fast foods, processed foods, etc.)

-       Fruits and veggies

-       Easy Mac

-       Granola

-       Soups

-       Crackers

-       Cheese sticks

-       Nuts

-       NO CANDY

§  Make sure all bags are equal—the students will compare their bags and we don’t want anyone feeling like they didn’t get as much as someone else. 

§  Including notes or other little items is also a great idea!! We can provide a list of the students’ names upon request if you’d like individual label or decorate the snack bags.


 


DIRECTIONS TO HOMEWORK CLUBS

Nativity

§  Site Leaders

-       Katie Costello (201-602-1754)

-       Bryan Hughes (401-527-3379)

-       Matt Peta (302-569-4144)

§  321 Wyandotte Street

§  From Alumni Memorial, take a right onto Brodhead Avenue and go North to Third Street. At Third Street (at the corner where Perkin’s is located) take a left and go straight up (bearing left, not right) to the light at 378. Go left at the light and take an immediate left into the parking lot behind the Cathedral Church of the Nativity.  In the back left corner of the parking lot, there is a steep hill down to a playground.  Right by the playground is a door that leads directly into the homework club room. 

 

Fritz

§  Site Leaders

-       Erika Davis (484-602-3214)

-       Dan Vari (215-771-6420)

§  303 West Packer Ave

§  From the Alumni Memorial Building, turn right onto and go north on Brodhead Avenue. At the first stop sign, turn left onto Packer Ave. At the first stop sign, turn right onto Montclair and, if necessary, park on the street or in the parking lot at the back of the church. Go through the parking lot to the back of the building and enter through the door that is up a few steps.  This leads directly into the homework club room

 

 

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